


The Duke of the Bay

by MamaCesa



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Mob, Angst, Background Relationships, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Gun Violence, Homophobic Language, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Romantic Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:15:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 26,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23768344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MamaCesa/pseuds/MamaCesa
Summary: Summary: Patton O’Hearty was a great detective. Most people didn’t take him for one at first glance, especially when he dressed casual. He was abnormally chipper; he thought everything was the cat’s pajamas. He had a smile for everyone he met. He was always tipping his hat at the dames and gents when he walked the streets of the Bay Area.The only person he could never catch was the leader of the planted mob in Emeryville, nicknamed The Duke. The Duke was good at hiding his dealings and joints well, and he rarely had a snitch in his ranks. The few who tried, well, somehow they disappeared before they could give the police any substantial information. He was well hidden, but popular among the residents of the town. People talked boldly of his rambunctious parties, never revealing the locations though. He was hard to catch, to say the least.So what happens, when instead, the detective is the one that’s caught?
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 78
Kudos: 90





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Guns, threats, alcohol, internalised homophobia, homosexual slang used pejoritively and positively
> 
> YouTube Playlist to set the mood: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjVeBl5fz5pp0SkXH8wwIx6WXApmN7S9v

Part 1

Detective O’Hearty was tall and slender, with a mop of reddish-brown curls that could barely be tamed. He had dark brown eyes that surprised many with their playful stare. He always had a coin to spare for friends who needed it. He was a model detective, and he did his jobs well. Always brought the drunks in calmly, always had a way of getting suspects to confess with guilt, and he never fired the gun on his belt. 

He always walked to work. He loved saying hi to his fellow townsfolk in the mornings. There was Joe the barber, who was always sweeping his doorstep when Patton walked by. He made a point to pause so the detective could walk through. 

There was Jefferson, who owned the news stand on the corner by the police station. He always offered to give Patton a free copy of the paper every morning, and the good detective always declined. If he needed a paper, he’d pay for it. “Like a normal, everyday man.” 

There were also the normal passerby he made a point to say hello to. He felt that greeting people with a smile was a good day to share his love, and it always put him in a good mood when he walked into work. 

Patton made his way into the police station, a small building with only two holding cells, a few desks, and an office for the captain. He made his way to his desk, hanging up his hat and coat. He grunted as he sat down, looking at the various papers covering the desk. He tried his best to make it neat before his partner got in for his shift. He wasn’t in the mood for another lecture from the cold detective. 

As if on cue, Detective Logan Smith walked in swiftly. 

The younger detective was sharp as a whip, and he dressed the part. His slacks were always pressed, his shirts were crisp, and his black hair was slicked back tightly even after being under a hat or in the rain for hours. He had ice blue eyes, which always seemed half present. When one looked in them, there was always a gear turning somewhere in his mind. His jaw was always set, which had a tendency to put people off. 

If Patton was warm and bright, his partner was cold and shut off. He was good for investigating, up to a point. Patton had a way with people, and Logan had a way with patterns. He was sharp when given a puzzling case, though there was something he lacked when it came to mingling with his peers. He had a tendency to get frustrated when confused, which got him in trouble once or twice. Particularly when dealing with the women. 

Logan’s mouth was set in a frown as he walked to his desk. His eyebrows were creased with worry. Patton knew enough of his partner after three years to notice that he had something mulling around in his mind. The shorter man sat down at the desk pushed up across Patton’s, and he immediately opened one of their smaller files. 

Patton was a bit shocked that the man hadn’t greeted him like normal, not even making a comment about his disorganized workspace. 

“Logan, everything okay?” he asked with concern. “Logan,” he said louder when there was no response. 

Logan jumped, too caught up in the case he was looking through to notice his partner. “Yeah, Pat, I just had something strange happen this morning that might really help one of our cases.” 

“Which one?” Patton asked, though he suspected the answer. 

“The Duke,” Logan paused. “I got word from a note in my mailbox that he was hosting a shindig tomorrow night at seven o’clock. They left the address, and included invitations with false names to use to get in.” 

“Is that so…?” Patton leaned back in his seat, tapping a pencil against his chin in thought. Was this a chance to catch the man causing a ruckus in his town? The thought of putting the man behind bars was pleasant enough to make him want to go in immediately. 

“I think we need to speak to the captain, Pat. Only the captain,” Logan leaned over the desk to whisper conspiratorially, “I suspect a plant in our midst.” 

“No way, Logan,” Patton denied, “There’s no way any of our guys would be bought out by the Duke. It goes against everything we believe in. We’re not like those flacks in Chicago.” 

Logan leaned back and scoffed. “Don’t be naive, Pat. He came to our town loaded, and he’s making money by the minute off the people he’s duped. He’s got the cash, and frankly I’m suspicious of the tip in the first place.

“The world isn’t the same as it used to be,” Logan pointed out sympathetically. 

“Well...I do agree we should go straight to the captain. Just to get time to prep for what we wanna do.” Patton paused, “Wait, what do we want to do? We can’t just leave it unaddressed.” 

Logan smirked, “I think we’re going to go to a party, Pat.” 

\-----

The party was in full swing when they arrived. The event was at a speakeasy in a large house in Oakland. It wasn’t the type of event the pair of detectives were used to, but they got in easily enough. They had their pieces hidden, hoping not to be searched. They were going into the Lion’s Den. Logan suspected it was a trap, but Patton wasn’t too sure about that yet.

The large doorman took their invitations with raised brows. “Mr. James Ryder and Mr. Harry Hyde. Welcome.” 

They walked into the front room of the large Victorian. A small band was set up in the corner on a raised platform, playing a jazz tune Patton didn’t recognize. He admired it, though. The joint had a certain...charm he appreciated. 

The inside of the home seemed bigger than outside. The room to their right was where the music and dancers were. Ahead of them was another room with a bar, table of food, and some small dining tables with white cloths. It looked more like a restaurant with a dance floor than a house. 

To their left was a staircase, and next to it a narrow hallway that was dark. Next to that was where the coat room was. The undercover detectives dropped their hats and coats off, then made their way to the dance room.

The folks seemed to be jiving along. There was pure laughter and conversation echoing off of the walls. Patton grinned, partially excited to find out what the night would bring. He did see the draw in for the crowd. He looked at Logan to see what he thought. He saw his partner was frowning, and chuckled to himself.

There were men and women mingling in sinful ways that made Logan’s stomach turn with nerves. The bodies were pressed up together in a primal heat that he couldn’t look away from. Many women looked at him like they were starving, causing him to sweat. He had never been close to a woman, let alone put his hands on them. He fumbled with the vocabulary cards in his pocket. 

“Got your cards, Logan?” Patton asked slowly, careful to not be heard. 

Logan just nodded, sweat starting to form on his face. His breathing was turning shallow, the room was getting warmer, and the amount of people in the room caused him some discomfort. He felt that his tie was too tight, and tugged on his collar to loosen the grip around his throat.

Patton noticed Logan starting to lose his cool, so he pulled him into a lone hallway away from the crowd. “You good, bud?” 

Logan nodded, taking out a kerchief to dab at his temples. “Yes, yes I’m good. It was just a bit hot in there, that’s all.” 

Patton grinned, “Welcome to the swingin’ life, Logan.” 

Once Logan had calmed down enough, they made their way to the bar setup. There was enough liquid evidence behind the counter to put everyone in the house away for a while. Some bottles were decorative enough to draw anyone in to consume the spirits inside. 

Patton wasn’t particularly interested, and Logan was downright terrified. However, in order to keep appearances, they needed to pretend they were there for what everyone else was there for. 

“Got any gin?” Patton asked, leaning his elbow on the counter smoothly, a confident smile on his face. He was good at setting folks at ease.

The bartender nodded, “One or two?” 

“Two, I’m getting some for my friend here,” Patton patted Logan’s stiff shoulder in jest, “Poor man’s wife is a bearcat. I’m here to show him a good time.” 

The man behind the counter cracked a smile. “I get it, I got a Dumb Dora at home. This is the only place where I can catch a break. Two gins, coming right up.” 

Logan shuffled nervously, leaning in to whisper in Patton’s ear while the man was turned, “What was that?” 

“Look at your cards,” Patton whispered back. 

Logan nodded, discreetly pulling out the notecards in his pocket. Once he shuffled through them, he nodded in understanding. He secretly wondered how Patton knew the slang, but decided to save that mystery for later. 

They grabbed their drinks and walked back to the party. Patton leaned against the wall to watch the room. The music wafted over him in good rhythm as he sipped his drink. He grinned when Logan looked at him sharply. “Relax, it’s to blend in.” 

He puckered his lips at the taste. It had been a while since his last taste of liquor. He made sure he only nursed it slowly, not wanting to make a spectacle of himself. He noticed through the corner of his eye that his partner was sniffing his drink with a distasteful frown. 

He observed the people in the room. It was mostly full of couples dancing uninhibited by societal pressures to the music. Young girls looked at the men with sultry expressions, and the men gazed back with a beast’s hunger. Young and old, man and woman-they all were under the spell of the jazzy atmosphere. The tension was pulsing through the room with heat. Patton’s neck sweat a little, though he blamed it on the tobacco smoke clouding the room. 

Two young girls walked up to him and Logan, swaying their hips seductively. Patton smirked, curious as to how Logan would take to being the object of a woman’s lustful gaze. He chugged the last of his drink, grinning brightly. Perhaps the dolls could guide their way for the evening.

“Hey, ladies, to what do we owe the pleasure?” He asked smoothly. 

The blonde one giggled into her brunette friend’s ear. “Well,” the brunette spoke with a southern drawl, “My cousin here was wondering if you and your friend wanted to dance with us.” 

Logan choked on his drink, and the girls laughed. “He’s a shy one, isn’t he?” the brunette asked Patton. Patton just nodded, chuckling at his friend’s wide eyes staring at the blonde slinking towards him. 

“Don’t worry, sugar,” the blonde spoke, “I won’t bite. Just one little dance with a lonely girl?” 

Logan looked to Patton, panicked. A silent question in his eyes- What about the Duke? What about the cover? Patton winked, “It’s just a dance, Logan. Live a little.” 

The blonde girl tugged Logan by his tie to the dance floor. The brunette in front of him giggled. “Well, he sure seems to know how to party,” 

Patton just smiled, looking back at the girl that was with him. “What’s your name, doll?” 

“Alice,” she answered with a dazzling smile, “And your friend’s dance partner for the night is Lola.” 

Logan was moving stiffly with Lola, who was laughing at his attempts to dance. Her hands kept trying to wander, but Logan was firm with denying her advances. It was comical to watch the nervous detective attempt to blend in with people who were technically criminals. 

“So, Alice, who‘s the host here?” he asked, putting on his most dazzling smile. A part of him felt bad for using his charms for information, but he needed to know why the Duke hadn’t shown up yet, and why he had been invited under a disguise. 

“Oh, honey, the Duke only throws these parties. He never shows up unless he has important, hm, guests to impress,” she rolled her eyes, seemingly miffed by the fact. 

“Sounds like he’s hard to reach,” Patton commented sympathetically. 

“Very much so,” she twirled her drink, her red lip pouting before she changed the subject. “So, you a better dancer than your friend?” 

“I’d like to think so,” Patton surmised. “Though I should probably be nearby if my friend faints.” He pointed to Logan on the dance floor. He was doing better, but his face was shining with sweat and pretty pale. 

Alice set her drink down on a shelf. “He’ll be fine, just one dance?” 

Patton briefly considered declining again, but if there was more information to get while in the lion’s den…

“Why not?” he agreed. 

They made their way to the dance floor as the band changed to a softer tune. Patton recognized it as  _ I Left My Sugar Standing in the Rain _ . He and Alice swayed before continuing to talk. 

She leaned her cheek on Patton’s chest. He tried to remind himself he wasn’t leading her on, just being polite and getting information. She looked sweet, definitely younger than she seemed at first glance. He pitied her, wishing she didn’t have to find comfort in him or places like this. 

He decided to table those feelings for later. “So, the Duke doesn’t greet his normal guests?” 

She huffed, pulling her head up to look up at him. “Why so interested?” 

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Just curious, it seems a bit rude.” 

“It is, but no matter,” her brown doe eyes looked up into his, “I’m here.” 

Patton nodded nervously, “Yes, but you’re also a kid.” 

She stopped dancing, stepping back from him. “How did you know?” 

He panicked, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone here!” 

She raised an eyebrow at him, but before she could respond, the band stopped playing for a gentleman who had an announcement. Patton made his way back to Logan, who no longer had an overly eager Lola hanging off of him. Logan gave him a seething look of betrayal, but turned to pay attention to the gentleman at the front of everyone.

He was a short, buff man with a long scar running down his cheek. He had a dark aura about him, and for a moment Patton thought it may be the head criminal they were looking for. However, the sinister man didn’t seem too eager to be on the small raised area that was a stage. He was frowning as the crowd quieted. 

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he greeted. “Tonight we have some special guests with us that The Duke would like to introduce to you himself. So, without further ado, I present-The Duke of the Bay!” His voice was very unenthusiastic. Very few people clapped. 

A man in a fancy zoot suit took the former’s place at the microphone. His suit was black, but his shirt was a weird shade of yellow and green, possibly chartreuse. His mustache curled upwards at the ends of his lips, which were grinning maniacally at the crowd. His eyes were wide, as he scanned the crowd for his special guests. He looked like a well disguised madman, at least that’s what Patton thought. 

He and Logan looked at each other briefly, wondering what to do next. They both nodded, agreeing to still keep their assumed identities until they could get alone with him. It wasn’t a bust night. 

“Hello, dolls and germs!” his nasally voice greeted. He gestured his arms dramatically as he spoke, “I have the distinct honor tonight to announce the presence of two  _ very  _ special men in our midst.” 

The detectives shared a nervous look, realizing in certainty that it was a trap, as he continued on. “Everyone, give a good old Oakland sweet welcome to our guests, Mr. Ryder and Mr. Hyde!” 

Logan’s mouth fell open as Patton froze, trying to figure out what to do. He took a moment to consider his rapidly diminishing options, and decided to pull Logan by the elbow as they made their way up to the most dangerous man in the city, pretending to be friends. 

“There they are!” he gestured as they made their way up, “My dear friends.” 

He hugged Patton first, and whispered in his ear, “I have guards, you bulls ain’t leaving the pen ‘til I say so, get it?” Patton nodded in nervousness, though he refused to show it, as the man made his way to say the same to the even more obviously nervous Logan. 

The Duke stood between the two of them as they looked at the crowd, one arm over their shoulders. Patton forced a smile on his face, not wanting to cause suspicion. He saw Logan doing the same, though it seemed more difficult for him to accomplish. 

“These gentlemen came here for a good time, and we’ll give ‘em one, right?” he called. The audience of people cheered, and he saw that Alice and Lola were staring at them with their mouths open. 

“Alright, well we’re gonna be a dancin’ and a swingin’, make sure you give these cats some love that only we sinners can give!” He walked the nervous men off stage while the crowd cheered once more before getting back to the music. 

“Well, I see no reason why you two gum-shoes can’t keep enjoying the party for now. Have some fun. Dance with some dames, drink some booze, and live a little,” he smiled menacingly, “It may be your last chance. I’ll have Mr. Doris retrieve you to bring you to my office when I’m ready for you.” 

They looked at Mr. Doris; the man with the scarred face. He was glaring at them from across the room. 

“Understand the situation, boys?” The Duke asked. He smiled at their stiff nods. “Excellent! I’m glad we came to an understanding.” He kissed them both on their cheeks before disappearing back upstairs. 

Logan grabbed Patton by the collar and brought him to a corner that didn’t have very many people. “What the hell is going on?” he hissed through his grit teeth. 

“It uh,” Patton cleared his throat, “It seems I was wrong. We were definitely set up.”


	2. Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Guns, threats, alcohol, homosexual slang used pejoratively and positively, internalized homophobia

Logan closed his eyes in frustration. “Damn it.” 

“That’s no way to talk in the presence of young ladies,” Lola purred next to them. 

Logan jumped, and glared at the girls. “I don’t think someone who goes to places like this and dances as provocatively as you counts as a lady.” 

Patton shot Logan a warning glance. He didn’t need more enemies in the room. Logan’s face quickly fell in shame. “I’m sorry, Lola. That was unkind of me.” 

Lola threw her head back and laughed. “Please, sugar, that’s the manliest you’ve acted all night. For a moment I thought you were a fairy,” she leaned in with a wink, “You know...a pansy.” 

Logan’s face flushed red. He sputtered like a broken faucet, unable to form a coherent response. “N-no! I’m not!” He vehemently denied. 

“Hey, don’t sweat it if you are, honey,” Alice tried to soothe, “We’re not exactly straight, ourselves.” 

Logan looked at them curiously, “You mean…?” 

Lola smirked, “If anyone asks, we’re cousins.” 

“Then why- then how come-what?” Logan’s brow was furrowed, trying to understand what they were trying to get up to. The girls just smiled at him. He looked desperately at Patton. “Do you know what they’re saying?” 

“I think they’re trying to say that they're lesbians; kissing pals,” he winked at their blushing faces. “Though, I still think you’re a bit too young to know for sure, Alice.” 

Alice jutted her pointed chin in defiance, “I’m sixteen,” 

Logan choked on nothing, starting to cough in disbelief. Patton reached an arm out to steady him, but he was denied. Logan seemed to be having a rough time adjusting to the swinger’s life for the night. 

Patton ignored him, turning back to the girls. “Why were you dancing with us, then?” he asked for his speechless friend. 

Lola looked at Alice and shrugged, “I still like men, but Alice makes me feel things no man has been able to.” 

Alice smiled fondly and nuzzled into her partner’s cheek. “Same here, Lola. There’s something soft about a woman’s touch that a man can’t remake.” 

Patton watched them carefully. “Aren’t you asking for trouble, flaunting that around?” 

“I’m surprised you haven’t noticed sooner, considering you’re one of the Duke’s friends,” Lola remarked, “Look around the room. There’s a reason this place is so well guarded.” 

Logan put his fist in his mouth, trying to keep up. “So you mean the Duke…?” 

“Doesn’t mind dropping the pins and letting his hair down,” Lola filled in. “So, neither of you are…?” 

It was Patton’s turn to blush, aware of no longer being an outsider watching a circus performance. 

He never gave it much thought. All he wanted was to make the world a better place. He never imagined how he’d settle down, or who with. He just expected it to happen one day. 

“I suppose I never gave it much thought,” Patton muttered. He looked at Logan who was staring intently at the floor. “But I know I don’t mind folks who are. My parents raised me to be a loving man, which includes men who love men.” 

Logan looked up at him, eyes conveying a secret bit of gratefulness. Patton just smiled encouragingly. He had his suspicions, but he knew Logan was a good detective no matter what. That was all that mattered, and in that moment there was an even bigger matter that was more important than discussing various sexualities. 

“Say, girls, what did you mean when you asked about us being the Duke’s friends and being...queer?” The word felt weird to say out loud, especially in reference to himself. It wasn’t bad. Just a little bit different. 

Lola giggled as Alice blushed then said, “We just thought, well, usually he only has special guests when they’re his arm pieces. We’re sorry for assuming.”

Patton took his fake glasses off to wipe the sweat off of his face. He felt the urge to get another gin, but he knew he needed his senses sharp so he could be prepared for talking to the Duke. He also felt a bit hungry.

“No worries, ladies. I think Mr. James and I need to go get something to eat, I’m famished.” He dipped his head as they smiled politely. 

He and Logan made their way to the table next to the bar, and grabbed some plates of food. They made their way to the dining tables in the room next door. There were a few couples in the room, and the music was less loud in there. Patton was keenly aware of Mr. Doris who entered the room behind them. He felt those intense eyes staring straight through his skull. 

He tried to ignore it while he ate with his companion. “So, what’s the attack plan?” 

Logan thought as he chewed. “Maybe we just go along, and if our lives get in danger we use our guns. They haven’t confiscated them from us yet.” 

“What if that was part of the trap?” Patton asked. “And further, why would the Duke lure us in? Why not have us kidnapped like he’s done with others?” 

Logan shuddered, “I don’t know, Pat, and I don’t want to consider that at this moment. We’ll save the why’s for later. We need to focus on gathering enough evidence, and getting out of here alive.” 

Patton just nodded. “So where do we go from here?” 

“I don’t know,” Logan muttered, tossing his fork down when he finished his meal, “There are a lot more questions than answers. Frankly, my mind is still spinning from that drink.” 

“It was barely half a glass of gin, Logan,” Patton snickered, “I’ve had worse.” 

Logan raised his eyebrow. “When?” 

“Before the prohibition,” he waved dismissively, “My pops used to let me have a bit of whiskey every Saturday night.” 

Logan tutted, “No wonder you’re so cheerful. There’s silly juice in your blood.” 

Patton laughed, “Yeah, well, I am Irish.” 

The moment of brevity disappeared as a shadow loomed over them. Mr. Doris, their guardian of the evening, loomed over them. “The Duke will see you now.” 

\-----

Logan was put into a separate waiting room upstairs as Patton was led to an office down the hall.

He gasped as he entered the room. The office was full of oddities. The shelves had bizarre jars full of mysterious colored horrors. There were stuffed animal mounts hanging on the wall, along with a few posters with graphic depictions of murders and scantily clad people of both sexes. 

“How professional, “ he remarked in a high pitch as he walked in. 

The Duke smiled behind his desk, “Thank you. I like to keep my office cozy.” He looked at his henchman, “Go wait by the door, Mr. Doris. I’ll call if he pulls a gun on me,” he winked at Patton. 

The scarred man just nodded, glaring at Patton as he left to guard the door. Patton gulped nervously. 

“Come in, detective, sit. Make yourself comfortable.” The Duke gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. 

Patton considered briefly before deciding to sit. The chair was surprisingly comfortable, but he didn’t let himself relax fully. He stared at the most dangerous criminal in the Bay. He was on guard, suspicious that the Duke would order him to be killed at any moment. 

“Why did you bring us here, Duke?” he asked with narrowed eyes. 

The man behind the desk snickered, “Oh, detective, please tell me you’re more creative than that? Try a different question. Something more...interesting.” 

Patton tilted his head in confusion. What was this man’s deal? “Uh...okay,” he spoke hesitantly, “Rumor has it you drop pins…?” 

The Duke guffawed, “Oh, there’s one I haven’t heard! Thank you!” He kept giggling as he spoke, “I’m sorry, it’s just, the usual gets so boring sometimes. ‘Why am I here?’ ‘What do you want from me?’ ‘Are you gonna kill me?’” Remus rolled his eyes, “But to answer your question, yes, I let my hair down.” 

He raised a brow at Patton seductively, “Does that bother you, good detective?” 

“No, Duke,” he said honestly, “That’s not why I’m on your tail.” 

“Oh, I wish you were on my tail,” the man sighed with a dreamy smile, “I bet you’d be a good one.” 

Patton blushed, “Just get to the point.” 

“Right,” The Duke slammed the desk. “I want you, your partner, and your other copper friends to lay off my people. Just turn a blind eye, and in reward we’ll take care of you.” 

“What if I refuse?” Patton asked warily. 

“Well, I guess I’ll have to run and hide deeper in the shadows,” the villain smirked. “If you want me, come and get me. Have fun trying, at least.” He spread his arms out. 

“You won’t kill us?” the detective asked in disbelief. “You won’t make us disappear?” 

“No,” the Duke truthfully told with his eyes wide, “I guess I won’t…” but he leaned forward with a wicked grin. “But you’ll never be able to lay a hand on me as I take over the town.” 

Patton stayed silent, considering his options. He could pretend to agree to the demands, and warn the captain in his next report. However, the Duke seemed smart. He’d probably have eyes and ears out anyways to know if any funny business was going on. Patton was starting to believe that Logan was right after all. Someone on the force was bought off already, just to get the Duke close enough to the lead detectives on his case.

The Duke stood up from behind the desk to lean over Patton, who blushed at the proximity. There was no denying the villain was handsome, and there was something seductive about the way he looked at Patton. Like a hungry wolf who cornered his prey. Patton shivered in dangerous delight. He tried to shake the lustful feelings coming over his body. His conversation with the young girls downstairs was playing through his mind. 

_‘I never gave it much thought_ ’, he had said then. Well, suddenly, he was giving it a lot of thought at that moment. The Duke must be a magician of some sorts, or that gin was stronger than he initially thought.

The man was staring at him, waiting for an answer. He looked like the devil before he was cast down to earth. He was beautiful, especially since Patton could look at him up close. His face was sculpted perfectly, and his grin was a mockery of purity. He was well kept, but looked like he could go feral at any moment. That only increased the seductive, dark aura he radiated. 

Patton shifted uncomfortably under the gaze. He didn’t really enjoy the way he was being looked at, mainly because it made him want to gaze back as intensely and succumb to his proposal…

He chose to focus on the case at hand. “You said you’d take care of us?” _You’d take care of me?_

The Duke tapped his chin in thought, “I didn’t expect you to cave in so quickly, Detective O’Hearty. I thought you were selfless. At least that’s the word on the street.” 

“Maybe I’m tired of being a slave to unreturned good deeds,” Patton lied. He had a plan forming, and it required getting the man’s guard down.

“Well, you’ll still be a slave if you work for me,” the Duke smirked, “But a willing one after time.

“Back to the subject of your benefits. Your precinct will be receiving an anonymous donation of 5% of our profits. My guys won’t interfere with any investigation outside of our operation, and maybe we can help you out but turning in some of our criminal rivals. Every now and then we might need your help, and you, along with your partner, will be at my personal disposal” 

Patton deflated. Those conditions were really good. Was this how cops turned? The mobsters sent in gifts and seducers to prey on the weakness of men. He could end up doing a lot of good if they worked together, and really, they weren’t doing much harm to anyone except with their own criminals in their world. 

No. No, it was wrong. He pledged to uphold the law, to enforce a certain code of morals that kept the public safe. The man standing in front of him was a murderer, he was a psycho. He was clearly deranged. He was charming, and used his charm to nearly get Patton to budge. 

He needed to get out of there, but safely. The Duke made it clear that he may not be leaving alive, but he needed some time to think. An idea formed in his head. He was slightly disgusted with himself, but it had a larger chance of working than any other option. 

He stood up and took off his fake spectacles. He leaned in the Duke’s personal space to set them on the dark mahogany desk. He then stayed to look down at the grinning man. Two could play a Devil’s game. 

He played with the black tie that was set against the light green dress shirt. He heard the shorter man’s breath hitch. He leaned in a bit closer, setting his thigh discreetly between the shorter man’s legs. He lowered his voice to an unnatural pitch. 

“Tell, me, Duke,” he leaned in to whisper in the man’s ear, “Did you really suspect that I’d be squeaky clean?” 

Putting on the act was easier than it should have been, and a part of Patton panicked. He kept his cool, giving just a bit into his own budding desires to keep it all seeming authentic. 

He let go of the tie, choosing to use that hand to lean on the desk, subtly trapping the breathless man beneath him. He hesitantly bent in to stroke his nose along the soft neck of the criminal. 

“I think a part of you suspected who I really am,” he pressed his body further, completely molding him against the shorter man. He smiled in triumph as he heard a tantalizing moan slip from the mustached mouth. 

“Part of you knew my own sinful desires, didn’t you? You didn’t call me here for business,” he swallowed his nerves to kiss the soft skin below the earlobe he was speaking half-truths into. 

“No, I didn’t,” the Duke squirmed. 

Patton was intrigued. He hadn’t expected such a powerful man to become so easily undone. He pulled away from his assault on the man’s neck to look into the man’s eyes, to see the truth. 

The truth in the crazy eyes he had made him momentarily forget all he ever learned in Sunday School. The nearly black eyes burned with heated desire. Patton felt some fear, with all that chaos was focused on him, he would surely break. He felt strange, completely out of his body. What was he doing?

The criminal pulled Patton in by his tie and they were kissing. Patton knew he let the scenario go too far by then. It felt so good, though. There was something more grizzly about kissing another man, and frankly the tickle of the mustache added to the appeal of the moment. He kissed back, shouting to himself that it was just to keep up appearances.

He needed to leave, before he tossed all his morals out the window. 

He pulled away, “Give me some time to think about your offer? As appealing as it is, I need to keep up appearances.” 

The Duke smiled maniacally, “My dear detective, but of course!” 

Patton tried to pull himself off of the other quickly, however the Duke gripped his hip and held him in place. Patton gasped as the man’s hand wandered across his waist. Then, he realized too late, that his gun had been pulled on him. 

He looked down in betrayal and shock, he had thought he was succeeding in getting underneath the man’s skin. 

“Don’t look so surprised, my dear detective, I didn’t get up to the top by my pretty looks. I do have some bit of intelligence,” he gestured to have Patton sit back onto the chair. “Though, let me tell you, with that little show you put on, I nearly did lose my marbles.” 

The Duke licked his lips and moaned rather loudly, “You’re a good actor. That surely will haunt my dreams tonight,” he looked to the door and called his henchman back in. 

Mr. Doris came back in, the permanent scowl on his face made him look like a sort of reptile to Patton. He walked to stand guard behind Patton, placing a yellow gloved hand firmly on the detective’s shoulder. Patton flinched at the touch, chastising himself for what he had sacrificed...only to fail.

Shortly after another younger, smaller guard brought Logan in. Logan was resisting, though it was futile. The kid had a good grip, and shoved the other detective into the seat beside Patton. He has unruly black hair, darker skin, and a hateful look in his eyes. He mimicked the other guard’s grip by having his own hand on Logan’s collarbone.

The Duke moved back behind his desk, grinning like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. “Well, gentlemen, let’s talk business.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it. It's a bit quick but I PROMISE there are reasons. Let me know what you think?


	3. Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Duke visits the Dear Detective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: seduction, restraints, gun mention, internalized homophobia

It had been a month since their meeting with the Duke at the party. The detectives were sent home to think it over. They were given a month, which was very gracious considering the circumstances. The Duke did mention that he’d have eyes on them, though. 

Patton wasn’t blind. He noticed every now and then a man with a scar beneath a bowler hat popping up throughout his day. Mr. Doris, he remembered the name. 

Logan mentioned the young guard who had been assigned to him at the party also kept popping up through his days, though the kid was less discreet about it. His name was Virgil. He made it very clear to Logan that he was on the detective’s tail all day, every day. 

Patton was always thinking about what transpired when he was alone with the head criminal. He still felt the mustache that tickled his lips. He still tensed when he remembered the hands on his waist. He dreamed at night of wild eyes, and found himself imagining what else the Duke had in store for him. Were there going to be more moments of evil pleasure? He dreamt often of the primal urges he had when he tried to seduce the mobster. 

Patton woke up in his bed to the sound of thunder. He looked out his window and saw that it was still dark. His room had no light except for the occasional flashes of lightning. He grunted, then rolled to face away from the window. He took a second to process that there was someone else in the room. It wasn’t until there was a second lightning flash that he saw the figure sitting in his chair. 

He jumped and reached for his gun in the nightstand, but it wasn’t there. He yelped when the light was turned on, and backed up against his headboard. “What do you want?” 

“Relax, detective, it’s just me.” the man’s voice purred. 

It was the Duke, looking oddly too regal for the shabby room. He was dressed in a black suit, the only color being his green tie. He sat leisurely in the chair by Patton’s desk, and Patton was all too aware of the memories he had been reliving in his dreams. 

He swallowed dryly, “Where’s my gun, Duke?” His voice was shaky, and higher than usual. 

“Oh, you won’t need it with me,” the man waved off, “Not tonight, at least.” 

Patton squinted suspiciously, “Then why are you here?”

The eccentric man pulled his head back and sighed dramatically, “I told you,” he stood up to saunter towards Patton’s bed, “Don’t ask boring questions, detective.” 

Patton shifted, his body was having an electrical reaction to the storm, he was sure. He felt like he was being shocked all over, and the bed suddenly felt much bigger than it was. He stared while holding his breath as the Duke sat at the foot of his bed. 

“Okay, um…” he trailed off, not sure what to ask. 

“I’ve got one, if you need help,” the intruder grinned.

Patton nodded, wondering where the conversation was going. 

“What’s been on our minds for the entire month since our meeting?” he purred. 

Patton’s tired brain wasn’t capable of making the connections quick enough before the Duke was kissing him. He was very aware that this was an informal call. He kissed back instinctively. His desires had erupted once again, consuming his mind and cluttering his thoughts. He leaned all the way in, not even considering the fact that they were technically on opposite sides of the law. 

He was brought back to reality, however, when his wrists were grabbed and cuffed. He squeaked, leaning forward as the Duke pulled away laughing. 

“Oh, my dear detective, you make this too easy,” he sighed. “It’s almost not that fun.” 

Patton struggled against the constraining metal. “Let me go, Duke!” 

The villain tutted, “I’m sorry, I can’t. Me and the boys have a big night tonight. We still don’t know where your loyalties are. I gotta leave, dear detective,” he leaned in once more to kiss Patton. 

Patton turned away in protest. He knew there was a reason men weren’t to lie together. Men were tricksters by nature, especially loony ones like the head criminal walking away from him. He felt a piece of him splinter, and his eyes were opened to the elaborate play the villainous Duke had put him up to. 

“I’ll hunt you down for this, Duke. Consider this a rejection to your offer. I’ll get you!” He proclaimed loudly. He thrashed against the headboard, trying to pull the cuffs from the opening they were looped through. 

The Duke set his hand against the doorway. He looked over his shoulder with a wry smile. “If you want me, come and get me.” 

Patton struggled against his restraints, unsuccessful. He bit back tears as his wrists ached. When an hour had passed, he decided he would rest. He knew deep down someone would come find him. He scooted down enough to lay somewhat comfortably. He closed his eyes, letting one tear escape before nodding back off to dreamland. 

\-----

Just as he had figured, he woke up with the restraints gone. There was no sign in his room of the Duke’s presence. He immediately reached into his nightstand to find out if his gun was back, and sighed in relief when it was. There was a note in the drawer as well. 

_ ‘Sorry for the predicament, my dear detective. It’s a fair game from here on out.  _

_ P.S. you sleep like a bear-snores and all.’ _

Patton frowned in disappointment. How did he sleep without noticing another intrusion? How come he didn’t notice the cuffs being removed? Why didn’t he try to fight off the Duke? How did he succumb so quickly to those desires? Where was his devotion to duty?

He stood up to get dressed. He felt like a fool for letting himself get into this mess. Today he was determined to come clean to the captain, form a plan of attack with Logan, and get ready for a war between good and evil. He grabbed his hat from the rack as he exited his house. He was storming down the street, an uncharacteristic scowl on his face. He felt angry. 

He didn’t nod politely to anyone, or give them a cheerful smile. He pretended he didn’t see the concern in everyone’s eyes as they watched him make his way to the station. 

He was so focused on the war path that he didn’t notice the woman that he ran into. He helped steady her, and apologized profusely. 

“I’m so sorry, miss, I don’t know what came over me, are you okay?” he fussed. 

The chocolate eyes looked up at him with mischief. “Well, well, look who it is! Good to see you, Harry,” Alice winked. 

Patton blushed in embarrassment. “Right…” He made the decision to keep his alternative cover with her, just in case he needed it. “How are you, Miss Alice?” 

“Oh, you’re an even bigger charmer than I pegged you for,” Alice giggled, “I’m doing alright, I suppose. Lola is in southern California for a month, visiting family.” 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he told her sympathetically. Alice was a sweet kid. Speaking of which, “Alice, what about your family?” 

Her eyes hardened, “I don’t think that’s any of your business, Harry. If you excuse me, I think we’re both in a hurry. Good day,” she nodded curtly and walked away, huffing and muttering to herself. 

Patton cringed. He’d been too obvious. It was obvious she was the type of gal who needed to be coaxed into giving information, even though she was good at getting it. He shook his head, chuckling wryly to himself as he continued his walk to work. He went at a slower pace, feeling the anger dissipating after running into the sweet girl. 

He heard the bell ring above him as he walked in. He hung up his hat and coat, like always. He made his way to his desk and saw his partner was early as well. 

“Good morning, Logan. How was your night?” he asked, carefully playing cool in case he was the only one who got a visit last night. 

Logan’s widened in false innocence, “I slept well, Patton, and you?” 

Patton leaned back in his chair while playing with a pencil, “Oh, I had trouble sleeping last night. The storm made me feel like I was being watched…” 

Logan blushed and shuffled with his papers, “Don’t be ridiculous, Pat. Your home is safe, and I’m sure even your shadow Mr. Doris would not be rude enough to enter your home.” 

“I just said it felt like I was being watched, not that I thought I was.” Patton stated. 

Logan avoided the older detective’s gaze, biting his lip to keep from responding. Patton leaned across his desk to talk to Logan in a low voice. 

“I saw him last night. He was in my damn bedroom,” he watched from Logan’s reaction. 

Logan paused and looked back up, “Oh? Why isn’t he here behind the bars, then?” 

“Calling me a liar, detective?” Patton asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“No,” Logan sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I just feel like we got caught up in something we can‘t escape from.” He seemed to be talking about more than just the case, considering how his eyes kept darting away from Patton’s. 

“Be honest with me, Logan,” Patton said seriously, “Are you seriously considering the Duke’s offer?” 

Logan bit his lip and looked into Patton’s eyes. “No.” 

“I believe you,” Patton told him honestly. He suspected he knew what was really troubling the detective, but before he could ask more, the telephone rang. 

He stood up to answer the call. “Police department, what’s the emergency?” 

“There’s a man following me!” a feminine voice whispered into the phone. “I’m hiding in a restaurant, but he’s sitting near the entrance. I can’t leave.” 

“Alright, Miss, calm down. Where are you?” Patton asked. He snapped his fingers toward Logan to encourage him to get ready. 

“I’m at the Buttercup. Please hurry.” the woman begged. 

“Don’t worry ma’am, we’re on our way.” he assured before hanging up. 

He grabbed his hat and coat as he raced with Logan to their car. He got into the driver’s seat and told Logan what was going on. 

“There’s a woman who thinks she’s being stalked hiding in the back of the Buttercup,” he stated quickly as he drove. He put the sirens on, and Logan radioed in the call. 

Patton was grateful for the distraction, but his heart sank when they pulled up to the restaurant to see who was waiting by the door. 


	4. Part Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton answer a distress call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: mildly implied prostitution

Mr. Doris was standing outside the small diner, holding a young brunette girl by the elbow. He was obviously struggling to hold her still. There weren’t many people in the street to witness, though a few eyes in the diner were peeking through the blinds in the front windows.

The lady was a firecracker. She was putting up a fuss for sure. She was spewing profanities that would make a sailor blush. Her brown hair was falling out of it’s pins, and her tan coat was ripped at the shoulder seam. 

She paused her fighting when she turned and saw the detectives. Her eyes grew large as she recognized the men. 

“Alice!” Logan called. He ran up to Mr. Doris, holding his arm up to sucker punch him in the face. Patton was lucky to pull him back first. 

“Detective!” he scolded, “Backup up is on it’s way, don’t lose your cool.” 

Mr. Doris’ grin was sinister. He had straight teeth that made his smile seem dangerous. He was a handsome man, objectively. His narrow eyes were almost hypnotic. They were such a light hazel that in the daylight they were almost golden yellow. His scar gleamed in the sunlight. 

The detective and Mr. Doris stared at each other, both waiting to see who made the first move. When the sirens of the backup were heard, the man in the bowler hat threw Alice forward and turned tail. Alice cursed as she stumbled.

Patton pushed her into Logan’s arms, “Get her to the station!” he called as he ran after the sneaky, sinister snake of a man. 

Mr. Doris was fast. The soft-spoken man clearly had many tricks up his sleeves that Patton would need to catch up to. His body was short and stocky, yet he practically glided through the streets as he was chased. Patton once again was struggling to keep up with a criminal because he underestimated them. He underestimated the entire gang, it seemed. 

The detective’s heart pounded as he chased the spy through the streets. He barely noticed the pedestrians moving out of his way. He couldn’t let himself get distracted again. His lungs burned, yet he pushed. His legs were aching but the fury he held edged him forward. He shed his jacket behind him, not letting himself get over heated as he ran. 

Slithery Mr. Doris turned into an alleyway, so Patton followed- only to see a car barrelling towards him. He jumped back, watching with disbelief at the vehicle. Without a thought he found himself chasing the black rolls royce on his own human legs. It may have been futile, but the detective didn’t care at that moment.

He looked at the license plate, trying to make out the figures through his own sweat. He stopped running as the car got further and further ahead. 

He couldn’t run any more. He threw his hat down and cursed. He paced in the road, cursing at himself for once again not being able to keep up with a criminal. This was the third time not being able to catch up. He felt tears well in his eyes but held them back. Crying would do him no good, now.

A loud horn interrupted his episode. He looked up and saw Logan behind the wheel of their Ford police car. He bit the inside of his cheek, meeting Logan’s glare with his own through the window. He leaned down to pick up his hat, then trudged to the passenger seat. 

Alice was seething in the back seat, “Either of you gents want to tell me what the hell is going on?” she yelled. Her voice wasn’t scared. If Patton weren’t so upset, he would have been concerned by her lack of fear. 

“Watch your tongue, we’ll explain it when we get to the station,” Logan ordered through grit teeth. He glanced at Patton, an unspoken question in his eyes. 

_What the hell is going on, indeed?_

Patton scrunched his face in worry. He didn’t understand what was wrong with him, himself. He wasn’t usually so careless. He always had a clear head when on a case. He never had such intense feelings on the job. He was meticulous in his dealings with people. He was steady, he could stay objective no matter how sensitive the matter. He was a good cop. He was good.

Wasn’t he? 

He internally cursed himself for letting himself get too attached to the Duke. Not just as a victim of seduction, but as a policeman. He was so antsy to set the head criminal behind bars. To see what the man looked like without the backing of his operation. He was craving the satisfaction in putting an end to the madness before the madness even began. He was so damn anxious to go to the party when he found out Logan got that tip. 

Anyone would have known the damn note was a trap. Why did he fall for it? Even Logan had warned him. He thought it was just an anonymous do-gooder. He had blind faith in the goodness of people. Patton cursed himself again for being so gullible. 

He felt bitter, with a million questions forming in his mind. If the trap was so obvious, what caused him to disregard it? Why did he need to be lured in that way in the first place? If it was clear as day, why the hell did their captain approve the mission? Why didn’t the captain even pause when he was told the plan the morning they got the tip? 

Patton remembered he had smiled in satisfaction. There was a memory of the captain’s brown eyes grinning in triumph that flashed across Patton’s mind. At the time he dismissed it as confidence in the plan, but what if...

His eyes widened in disbelief at the connection. _The captain…_

He looked to Logan, panicked. “We can’t take her to the station, Logan!” 

“Are you nuts? Why not?” Logan asked incredulously. “You’ve been acting like a loon for a month, Pat. Why should I trust your judgement now?” 

“Because the captain is in on it! Please,” he softened his voice, “trust me this once.” 

“I agree with...whoever you really are,” Alice piped up from the back seat. 

“Patton. Patton O’Hearty,” he introduced, half paying attention to the kid. He was staring at Logan. “Logan, please. She’s a kid. I can’t endanger her.” 

Alice crossed her arms and huffed. Logan’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel. He set his jaw in consideration. It was a moment before he spoke again. He looked at Patton once more, and saw that Patton resembled a puppy begging for scraps at the dinner table. 

“Alright, alright.” He pulled over to the side of a lake. He turned his torso to look at his passengers. “Where do we go, then?”

\----

They walked into a dirty apartment located in the ghettos of Oakland. The place was small. It was cramped with the three people occupying the space. There were still beautiful decorations despite that. Pieces that showed Alice’s determination to not be deterred by her circumstances. 

Patton’s heart broke for Alice. She was only sixteen. She lived alone, braving the world on her own.

Alice had drawings covering the wall by her small vanity to the right of the doorway. There were little notes she had stuck to the mirrors, and there were perfume bottles that glittered in the dim lighting. The clutter was beautiful. It told a story of a girl who kept as much beauty in her life as she could. Patton admired the strength Alice had. 

“Sorry about the mess, usually the visitors I have don’t care.” Alice remarked. Her voice was masking her panic well. Patton had barely caught it. 

“Don’t worry, Miss. We’ve got bigger things to worry about than the cleanliness of your home.” Logan replied for them. His face betrayed him, though. He and Patton shared a look of concern for Alice’s wellbeing. 

Alice walked to the stove in the far corner of the room. “Could I interest you two in some tea before we start our discussion?” 

The two men shook their heads. Logan made his way to sit down on the pillows on the ground. They looked like the type of pillows Indians used for sitting on the ground, Patton thought. Logan looked awkward, as always. Patton walked to the mirrors to read the notes. 

_“Hold on, Alice.” “The future is bright.” “Only a few more years to go.” “I love you - Lola”_

Patton shook his head. He was so enraptured by his curiosity that he jumped when Alice spoke up behind him softly, “I try to keep my head up when things get bad.” 

“Why is Mr. Doris after you, Alice?” Logan asked. He stared at the two with curiosity. 

Alice turned to look at him. “I borrowed some money from the Duke. I needed to pay rent. I had lost my job, and I couldn’t lose this place,” her eyes shined. She looked at the wall, but her face told the men that her mind was in another place.

“I’ve been in between jobs before. Usually I can handle it. I have a backup. I have friends who help me. Well, more like acquaintances. I tried to reach out to them. 

“They’re all married now, or engaged. They didn’t need my trade anymore,” she blinked away tears. “I knew borrowing the money was risky. The Duke has a reputation for a reason, you know?” 

Patton had tears of his own shining in his brown eyes. Logan seemed sympathetic, as well. Alice was being careful not to admit about her other crime, and they let it slide. The implication was enough. She was a desperate kid in a desperate situation. The detectives discreetly nodded to each other, silently agreeing to help this girl get her life in order. 

Patton laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. He looked into her eyes. He saw her strength, her passion. She hadn’t let her circumstances kill her will. 

“Let us help you,” he requested. His voice was gruff with intense emotion. “In return, you can help us catch the Duke.” 

Alice turned her face to look at the vanity. She looked at the framed picture of Lola and smiled. 

“Sure,” she agreed enthusiastically. “Let’s put the bastard behind bars.” 

“If you work with us, you’re going to have to watch your language,” Logan chastised. His voice was still kind. “Now Patton, what’s this about the captain being in on this?” 

Patton took his hat off to run his hand through his messy brown hair. He was nervous. Implying the captain being dirty was serious. If he was wrong, he could get suspended for making a false report. That, or worse, get fired. 

If he was proven wrong, the captain could have that implication follow him for life. The man had a wife. He had a baby on the way. Patton admired the leader, he truly did, but could that admiration be misplaced? He’d been misplacing his trust a lot lately. 

He took his time to figure out his words. He wasn’t aware that he started pacing. He felt nearly manic. He couldn’t explain why he thought the captain was in on it. In fact, his thoughts were telling him he was being irrational. It was his mind who was telling him how ridiculous he was for questioning his faith in the captain. 

His gut told him something else entirely. There was something missing. It was a jumbled up puzzle. Which is why he needed to tell Logan. Logan was good at puzzles. He still trusted his partner. He looked at Logan eyeing him warily. Patton was aware of what he looked like to Logan; he was going mad.

Alice sat at her vanity to brush her hair. It had become untamed in the chaos of the afternoon. She still looked at the nervous detective through her mirror, also curious about the theory Patton had. She kept her mouth shut, though, aiming to fix up her appearance with the chaotic mess of beautiful, cheap makeup. 

Patton sucked in a deep breath, and began to tell Logan everything he had so far.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I know two chapter posted so closely together. I just have the itch and a lot of time to myself. I hope you enjoyed it, feedback is appreciated!


	5. Part Five 1/2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton explains his suspicions surrounding the captain. Logan helps find a place for Alice to hide from the Duke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none that I can think of

Logan paid deep attention to Patton. He had been concerned about his partner’s mental state since they had started the case _before_ they were invited to the party. There was something about this particular job that blinded Patton with obsession. 

After they met the Duke, it had only gotten worse. Patton hardly ate lunch anymore. He’d come in with bruised circles underneath his eyes. Logan was starting to worry for his friend’s physical well being. Was he getting sick? Was he going mad?

He would focus on the case, sure, but they both couldn’t do much without telling the captain. Patton wanted to wait to bring it up to their superior. He planned on duping the Duke, but he refused to say how at the time. Logan only went with it because it would do more harm than good to try to reason with someone as stubborn as Patton. 

For the past month, Patton would pause his work when they were at their desks. Logan would look up often to see Patton staring off nowhere. His partner would get a dreamy look in his eyes. So Logan would ask him what was on his mind. Then Patton would brush it off until it happened again. 

Logan would be the first person to admit that he wasn’t too good with reading people. That’s what Patton was for, but he could tell that something big happened to Patton when they were separated the night of the party. He was frustrated that he wasn’t able to figure out exactly what was said. He wished he could have been in the room where it happened. 

Logan wasn’t exactly stable after the party, himself, so he tried not to bring it up. 

Logan was skeptical that Patton was clear-headed enough to keep working the case. Was he seeing things that weren’t there? Did the Duke play to his sensitivities? The kind detective was sometimes overly faithful in people. Logan knew that. Perhaps Patton thought he would be able to change him? The recent events worried Logan to think Patton was spiraling out of control. 

Despite his worry, he listened as Patton told them his theory. 

“I was wondering why the captain approved our going undercover to the party. You knew it was a trap. You saw it. Clear as day, you did. Heck, you said yourself you suspected a plant.” 

“I didn’t imply that it was the _captain_.” Logan interrupted with an exasperated tone, “This isn’t sufficient enough proof, or new information.” 

“Wait, that’s not all.” Patton responded, holding up his hand. He continued, his voice getting more animated. “Last night, when the Duke visited me, he said they had a big job. There’s something he said that’s been getting under my skin. He wasn’t sure of _my_ loyalties. Why not the force’s? Why not ours?  
  


“Further, he mentioned they had a _big_ job last night. He didn’t want us getting in the way. You got there early, Logan, did the captain mention anything about a robbery? A murder? Kidnapping? Anything that could be a clue as to what the ‘big job’ was?” 

Logan clenched his jaw in thought. That was a more compelling thought. The captain hadn’t mentioned anything to him that morning. In fact, he didn’t even greet Logan when he walked in. He just went straight to his office to lock himself in. Their boss had closed the blinds, too, and had a scowl on his face that Logan had never seen. 

It hadn’t bothered Logan in the moment. Logan had done the same to Patton multiple times. He had then dismissed it as the captain being nervous about his child being on the way. Many men who were first time fathers seemed that way. However, if it weren’t that...

It wasn’t enough to convince him fully. Implying the captain was working alongside a criminal was serious enough. The very idea of him being a part of an entire criminal _operation_ was unthinkable. He was the one who put Logan and Patton on the Duke’s case when they first got wind of the implant of the mafia in Emeryville. 

What did that say of the captain’s confidence in their talents as detectives? If he was in on it, if he was turned, he thought they were gullible. He probably thought they weren’t loyal enough. Maybe he even would have planned for them to be scapegoats if the police were discovered to be in league with the gang. 

If he wasn’t in it, he thought they could handle it. He probably approved the undercover job for the party to gather evidence quietly to be able to bust the operation later. There could be reasonable explanations to it all that would be revealed. 

He didn’t give them much to work with, though. He just said to play it out for as long as they could keep the cover. He seemed unbothered when they returned with nothing. Not even information. What did that say to Logan? 

“I think it’s definitely possible,” Alice piped up in the silence. “The Duke gets a tighter grip on this town every day. If he didn’t already have the captain, he will soon. That’s the facts, boys.” 

Patton smiled, glad someone agreed with him. He looked at Logan with hope in his eyes. “I know you don’t trust me right now, partner. So I’ll let you decide for us in case my judgement is wrong...again.” 

Something about that last statement made Logan rethink his thoughts on his partner’s mental state. Patton had a look on his face that showed determination. He did seem to be operating with a clearer head than before. What had happened to him last night? After a long minute, Logan made his decision. 

“Fine,” he agreed, “We should assume the captain is in on it. If we do that, though, we assume everyone but us is in on it. We need to find proof in the meantime, though, as well as a safe place for Alice to stay.” 

“What do you mean?” Alice asked, a defensive tone in her voice. She spun around to look at the two men. 

“I mean they must know where you live. If there’s a price on you, they’ll look here first. Patton,” he looked at the older man, “Both of our homes are compromised, but I think she has a better chance with me. The Duke actually invaded your home. Does that sound okay to you?” 

Patton ran a hand through his hair. He didn’t like the idea of Alice being out of his sight for too long. There was something about her that sparked a protective instinct within him. Maybe it was her small frame. Maybe it was her sweet brown eyes that were so much older than her body. He wanted to make sure she never hurt or struggled again. He would deal with that feeling later, though. Her safety meant everything to him, second to catching the Duke.

“You’re right, Logan,” he sighed, deflated. “Alice, what do you think?” 

Alice bit her lip in thought. She kept glancing between the men and her vanity. It was obviously more to her than a place to get ready. It held a piece of her soul. It was an altar of hope. Hope for a better future with the woman she loved.

She thought about Lola. What would she want the person she loved most in the world to do? If her girlfriend had left her a note for this situation, what would she have written? Alice felt in her heart that she knew the answer.

“Let me pack a bag, then we’ll get out of here.” Alice smiled softly, “The rent is paid through ‘til next month, anyways.” 

Patton cheered inside. He was happy that it was easy to convince her to let him help. Gentle coaxing did work, after all. Well, that and a little bit of peril. He grinned at his two companions. He was determined to get this case closed once and for all. 

_Catch me if you can,_ the Duke’s voice whispered in his mind. A challenge that Patton felt for the first time in a month that he will finish.

\-----

Alice walked into Logan’s house with wide eyes. It was large, too large for one single man. It was nearly a manor. The hardwood floor stretched into a wide entryway. There was not a speck of dust out of place. Unlike the rooms in the Lion’s Den, Logan’s home had clear air. The furniture was lined up perfectly along the walls. It was bright, open. 

She walked further in to look in the living room to her right. There was a fireplace, and above the mantle was a large painting nearly as tall as her. It was of a lighthouse on a cliff during the day. The blue sky was clear, the image of the waves crashing to the cliffs were so realistic she was sure they were moving. The picture made her feel calmer. Despite how large it was, it really brightened the large room. Alice felt safe, which was a foreign feeling to her outside of being with Lola. 

She heard Detective Patton walk in with her two bags. She didn’t own much, so she packed lightly. It hurt to be away from the love notes Lola left her, but Logan was kind enough to offer to pay for her to send a telegram. She saw why he did now. The man must have been loaded with cash. 

Patton took the bags up the stairs without a word to her. Logan walked in after, coming up to stand next to her to also look at the large painting. 

“I never get tired of it,” he whispered, “It’s magnificent to me. I find it calming to look at it for hours after a long day at work. It clears my head. It calms me.” 

“Me too,” Alice responded. 

Logan smiled fondly at her. He didn’t leer at her like other men did. He was kind to her, just like Patton was. A part of her felt guilty for siccing Lola on him at the party. The other part didn’t, because without that she’d probably be dead in a ditch somewhere. That was an unpleasant thought, though, so she shoved it aside. 

“Let me give you a tour of the house?” Logan offered his arm to her, “It would be wise, seeing as you will be here for an undetermined amount of time.” 

Alice smiled and accepted the offer. She took his arm then walked with him around the home. 

They toured the downstairs. His rooms were proper. They held sophistication. The various sitting rooms were adorned with bright whites, pastel blues, and golden trimmings. They were surprisingly clean of any mess. Logan must have servants somewhere, she decided. 

The last room in the downstairs tour was a music room. There was a grand piano on a raised platform in the middle of the room. Alice felt tears prickle in her eyes. It had been so long since she had played. She hadn’t been able to since she was fourteen. 

Logan recognized the look on her face. It was the face of a musician who had lost her melodies. If there was one thing he could read on a person, it was the love of music. She tried to mask her sadness. 

He felt sorry for her. He couldn’t imagine going through something like this. She was like a young lamb, treading through a dark forest after losing her way. Well, maybe he could help her find her way again. 

“Do you play?” he asked her. He unlinked their arms to step on the platform. 

Alice laughed to mask her pain at the memories starting to make their way back into her head. “Oh, not since I was a younger girl.” 

“Would you like to play something for me?” Logan offered. He was careful to watch her reaction. He didn’t want to push her. 

She blushed pink at the offer. Her hands clasped together nervously against her stomach. “I don’t think I should…” 

“Please, I insist. While you’re here you have access to everything. If you’d like to practice again,” Logan grabbed her hand, “Now is the time to start.” 

She stood up on the platform to be at level with the young detective. He was charming in his awkwardness. What was it about this moment, though, that expelled his usual discomfort around her? His blue eyes twinkled in anticipation. He genuinely wanted to hear her play. 

“I suppose I can see if there’s something I remember…” she acquiesced. She sat on the cushioned bench. It was surprisingly comfortable, she noticed. Her parents never had something this comfortable for her hours of practice. Perhaps this would be easier than 

She gingerly lifted the cover to the keys. The sight of the polished ivory elicited an astonished gasp. Her fingers were aching to glide across them. A spark of joyous anticipation covered her skin. 

Tentatively, almost as if she were scared the keys would disappear, she touched the middle C. It felt cool, like a refreshing drink of sweet tea in the heat of summer. A pleased shiver made its way down her spine. 

As she pressed her finger down on the key, Logan grinned. It was like watching a puppy search around its new home. The way her smile glowed with warmth at the instrument resembled someone greeting an old friend after a long time apart. He felt proud of himself for offering this opportunity to her. With bated breath, he waited to see what she could come up with.

She played some scales, remembering her finger placements as if it were only yesterday she last played. The warm ups felt good to her digits. She laughed in glee. Her chest felt light. 

For a moment, she wasn’t a young girl in danger of being killed for a debt she couldn’t repay. For a moment, Logan wasn’t a detective there to protect her from harm. She was a performer, and he was her enraptured audience. She played with a few random melodies before she found herself playing a familiar song. The last song she learned right after her world turned dark. 

_“Life is not a highway strewn with flowers_

_Still it holds a goodly share of bliss_

_When the sun gives way to April showers_

_Here is the point you should never miss”_

She sang along to the melody. Her alto voice washed over her audience of one like rain.. Logan felt himself nearly hit back from an unseen physical impact. He listened closely as her eyes shined in relief at being able to play. 

_“Though April showers may come your way_

_They bring the flowers that bloom in May_

_So if it's raining, have no regrets_

_Because it isn't raining rain, you know, It's raining violets,”_

Patton followed the music to find Logan and Alice. He didn’t want to stay too long, any minute passed idly was one more minute the Duke got further ahead of him. However, when he walked in on the young girl playing her heart out at the piano, those thoughts left him momentarily. He walked up to stand against the piano with Logan, and joined Alice to sing in harmony. His soft Irish tenor voice mixed a wonderful harmony with her smooth southern alto melody. 

_“And where you see clouds upon the hills_

_You soon will see crowds of daffodils_

_So keep on looking for a blue bird, And list'ning for his song_

_Whenever April showers come along”_

She held out the last note with Patton, the two of them fading out sweetly. Logan applauded as Patton playfully bowed. She wiped at the tears threatening to escape her eyes, feeling overwhelmed after the tumultuous events of the day. Reality was starting to seep in for her. 

She stood up swiftly. “Alright, enough dilly-dallying. What’s the plan here? Will I be here by myself?” 

Logan looked to Patton, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. However if only one of us goes in to explain what happened with Mr. Doris this morning, it may be suspicious.” 

“You’re right Logan. I just can’t think of which of us should stay here with her, though.” Patton brought his hand up to cup his chin. This was still a bump in the road. 

“I think...I think you should stay, Patton. They’d search your house if they saw you were missing, and it would buy time before they searched here for you.” Logan suggested carefully. He didn’t want to make it seem like he was putting his partner on the bench on purpose. 

Patton stood there, torn between wanting to get in the action of finding the Duke, and protecting his target. He ran his hand through his hair nervously. He looked at Alice, who seemed so tired. He noticed his breathing was starting to sharpen. Her brown eyes were tinted with red on the edges from holding back tears. She looked like she was on the edge of hysteria. 

“Kiddo,” he spoke. He was unsure where the affection came from, but he continued, “You should go lay down. You seem tired.” 

“Yes, I suppose you’re right,” she agreed quickly. “Upstairs, right?” 

Logan nodded, “ First door to your left is a guestroom. Make yourself comfortable.” 

Alice nodded tiredly. She stood up and hugged the two detectives. “Thank you so much, boys.” Tears escaped as she sobbed into their chests. The trio stayed in their warm embrace a moment longer before Alice left to retire to her new bed. 

“Okay, Logan.” Patton started. “I don’t think I can stay here. I need to be on top of this.” 

“I know this, Patton, but what if you go too far? You’ve been diving too deep,” Logan softened at the look in Patton’s eyes. “What happened when you were alone with him?” 

Patton shook his head, refusing to tell Logan. “I can’t, my friend. Please trust me though? I’ll be careful.” 

Logan sighed. It had some advantages to having Patton take lead. He was the one who knew what to look for. He was the one who thought up all this stuff in the first place. Plus the Duke seemed to have a fascination with him. 

However, if one more meeting were to happen, would he lose his partner? How far was too far?

“Alright,” Logan decided, “We’re both going to go. I have someone who can watch her.” 

“Who?” Patton asked, “We can’t trust anyone on the force.” 

“It would be unwise to say. Just trust me, as much as I’m trusting you.” He couldn’t have Patton know yet. He wouldn’t betray his friend like that yet, especially after the sacrifices they both were making. 

“Okay,” Patton nodded, choosing to keep his suspicions to himself. “Go call, I’ll wait in the car.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first half of part five. It was just too long for one part. 
> 
> Song that Alice and Patton sing is called April Showers by Al Jolson


	6. Part Five 2/2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Doris admits his mistakes to the Duke. The detectives confront the captain.

Mr. Doris never failed. His job was, simply put, to make sure things would run smoothly. He was the one who oversaw all the operations. He kept an eye on the booze shipments. He set the meetings for people who wanted to speak with the Duke. He did everything around the Bay Area for the most part. The footprint that the Duke had in the town of Emeryville was his own creation. He wouldn’t say it out loud completely, but he thought of himself as the true boss of everything. 

However, this time he did fail, and he didn’t want to fess up about it to his boss just yet. 

Virgil wasn’t mad when he had seen the man on his doorstep. He just seemed disappointed. “What are you doing here? Thought you had some broad to dump in a river or something.” 

“As fun as that sounds, no,” Mr. Doris smirked, “Just thought I’d treat you to some…” he pulled a small flask out of his jacket’s inner pocket, “Fun?” 

Virgil sighed to himself. He shook his head in disbelief. “It’s not even noon yet, you sneak. Get in here.” 

Mr. Doris grinned slyly as he entered the house. Virgil Vitale lived a pretty nice life. He was the Duke’s cousin. Once upon a time he was going to be second in command. However he gave the position to Mr. Doris for some reason. Something along the lines of how he didn’t want to work too much. It was a big deal in the family at the time. Though over the next few years Mr. Doris had proven himself to be a good enough replacement...until now. 

“Why are you hiding from the Duke, Janny boy?” Virgil teased as he poured himself some coffee in the kitchenette. He was doing his best to act calm in front of his unexpected visitor. However his hands were tense in their task.

“Don’t call me that, Vitale!” the short man hissed. He then continued with mock innocence, “Plus, who said I was hiding? Can’t a man pop in on his pal without it being work related?” 

Virgil scoffed as he sat down in his chair. “You’re not a man, Doris. You’re more like a, uh, a slimy snake.” He smirked to hide the urge to bite his lip with nerves. 

Virgil Vitale was a handsome young man.Though over the past month his wavy black hair had gotten too long. It was falling over his face, nearly hiding his steel blue eyes. His lips were angular, and almost always in a half smile or a frown. His skin was a somewhat darker tan, showing off his Italian heritage boldly. That was the only clue that he was even a part of the family in general, though his skin was also the darkest-but not by much.

It was a great shame, Mr. Doris often thought, that he didn’t want much to do with the family business. He served his purpose where he was obligated. He had proven his loyalty time and time again. Most of the family just saw him as an independent man trying to make his own way in the world after the Great War.

All Mr. Doris was able to see was a slacker who didn’t even last one year on the battlefield.

The visitor bared his teeth as he crossed his arms. He was questioning his decision about avoiding the boss. The host was being more brusque than usual. To give him benefit of the doubt, though, they were both pretty worn down from tailing the two detectives their leader had his black eyes on. 

“If you must know,” he answered. He turned his nose up and sniffed. Virgil held back a grimace at the gesture as his ‘friend’ continued, “I may have been chased off by that pansy cop.” 

Virgil choked on his drink. “Pansy? Really?” There was no way in hell Mr. Doris would have been able to find out. Virgil had only just learned the night before when-

“Well, if the noises he was making with the boss in his office were any indication,” the serpent-like man winked at him. He wiggled his eyebrows for emphasis. 

Virgil’s brow crinkled in confusion. When had Logan been in the Duke’s- oh. Mr. Doris was talking about the other one. Patrick or whatever. The one he didn’t have to keep tabs on. 

“Well, I don’t see what him being...ya know...has to do with anything?” Virgil looked at the rim of his mug as he sipped. He didn’t want to be talking about this at all, however getting this info would be beneficial. Even if it was only gossip. He could find a way to give the information to his...accomplice. 

“Well, nothing, obviously, but-” Mr. Doris waved his gloved hands around as he spoke. He was sick of this unnecessary distraction. “This whole deal has been a disaster. I wish we hadn’t gone through with this plan. You know, if I was boss-”   
  


Virgil slammed his mug down. He shouted out, “That’s enough, Janus! I may not be the boss but I’m still his blood. You’re already on thin ice,” Virgil lowered his voice to a threatening growl. “Don’t tempt me to let him know that you’re talking like that. Especially after you messed up on teaching a lesson to that doll, uh, what’s her name?” 

“Alice Beauregard,” Doris mumbled. All of his bravado had been pulled inward. He looked like a child who had been caught digging into the cookie jar with how red his face turned. He hated when Virgil called him by his first name. He opened his mouth to say more, but Virgil’s telephone started to ring. 

“One moment,” Virgil stood up to answer. 

It was good timing. Mr. Doris didn’t want to keep intruding. Especially if the man was going to be so touchy. He had to go see the Duke anyways. No use putting it off for _ too _ long. He waved at his friend as he walked out the door. 

He tapped the steering wheel of his car nervously. His favorite pair of sunflower yellow gloves stood out among the black aesthetic. He found peace in the memories that came when he looked at them. Wearing them was akin to a child carrying their security blanket everywhere. With the safe cover of the soft material hugging his fingers, he grabbed a hold of his nerves as he arrived at the Lion’s Den. 

He walked in to see that the Duke was standing at the office window. The boss had his hands clasped behind his back. Today he was wearing black slacks, forest green suspenders, and a light green dress shirt. The man had such a preference for green that it was sort of...queer. He had told Mr. Doris it was because green was the color of money. Money was all that flowed through his veins. That was what he claimed, at least. 

“Hello, Mr. Doris. How’d it go with our dear Miss Alice?” he asked calmly. The soft tone of his voice was foreign to Doris’ ears. 

“Well, she didn’t have the cash,” the subordinate hedged. He sat down at the seat in front of the large wooden desk. 

“I see. Did you take care of her?” the Duke was still eerily calm. The quiet before a storm. He didn’t seem upset about the monetary loss. Mr. Doris suspected that the questioning was formal. Maybe he was off of the hook. 

“I didn’t kill her,” Mr. Doris answered again. It wasn’t a lie. 

“So, where is she?” Mr. Doris didn’t see the Duke’s tight grip on the windowsill in front of him. 

“Somewhere far away…” the shorter man trailed off. He couldn’t handle one more question without spilling the beans. He crossed his fingers and hid them in his lap.

“Mr. Doris, one more question,” the Duke’s tone was void of any aggression. Well, no obvious aggression. 

Why did Mr. Doris still feel like his entire body was already drowned in the cold waters of the bay? “Yes, boss?” 

“How... _ stupid _ do you think I am?” The Duke still kept his voice calm as his body started to shake. The cool facade was dropping rapidly with each second. 

Mr. Doris stayed quiet. He didn’t have a word to say that wouldn’t technically be a lie. Plus he could already see that he was in trouble. He gripped the arms of the chair as he braced himself for the explosion. 

The Duke spun around wildly. He slammed his fist on the table. “I don’t know where you were mulling around, but in the meantime I got a call from the damn captain telling me his top two detectives left on a call to a girl in distress then disappeared. He’s bugging out, sayin’ that he’s been exposed. I had to offer him even more money, which means more cash lost because of this damn child!” 

His eyes were nearly throwing flames towards his companion. His lips twitched in annoyance. Mr. Doris felt that the black rage being radiated towards him wasn’t all because of this small mistake. His boss had been more touchy as of late. This was about more than just his failure to bring the girl in. It was about who disrupted the job in the first place. 

Ever since the detectives showed up for the party a month ago, he noticed the Duke was antsy. Mr. Doris was surprised that the cops were given so much time to decide, even though it was a formality. Frankly it was confusing. Why was the Duke even exposing himself like this to these detectives? Especially since it was all for show? There was no point in sticking his business out to their enemies. 

Mr. Doris decided to placate the raging man for now, though. “Sorry, sir, I’ll be more careful. I’m going to find her-”   
  


“No, I’m going to find her. I have a feeling I know exactly where she is.” The Duke started to put his things together. He opened the bottom drawer of his desk to grab his gun. His movements were loud as he got ready.

“Where?” The second in command felt nervous about not being involved. It wouldn’t be good for business flow if he was cast aside. The Duke needed a handler when he went out on business.

The Duke grinned softly as he shrugged on his trench coat. “Where else? With my dear detective, of course.”

\-----

“Alright, you got the plan, Logan?” Patton asked his partner as they parked the car. 

“Uh huh,” Logan answered vaguely. His eyes were unfocused a majority of the time since they left Alice at his home to wait for his friend. 

“Hey!” Patton snapped his fingers towards his partner. “I can’t have you leaving me, Lo!” 

“Sorry,” Logan shook his head. His face turned a bright pink at being caught lost in his thoughts. “One more time, Pat?” 

Patton gripped the steering wheel. He felt so close to getting this over with, and now Logan was the one losing his marbles. Still, he wouldn’t let his frustrations blind him again. He rested his palms on the wheel and took in a deep breath. His fingers felt like they were buzzing at the thought of being the one to put the cuffs on the Duke. He smiled at the image in his thoughts of that. 

Patton spoke quickly, “We’re going to go in and say that the girl didn’t want to file a report. Since backup didn’t see her recognize us, that might be believable. If the captain asks why we still didn’t bring her in for questioning, we say she was hysterical,” Patton shared a smile with Logan at the thought of Alice being hysterical. 

“Right. Then we mention that we suspect a plant, using your theories-except the part where you suspect it’s him,” Logan’s face hardened, “I really hope it’s not. He has a child on the way.” 

Patton’s excited grin fell. He hadn’t had time to think that his captain, his boss, his superior-was also his friend. Captain de Rossi was a kind man. How had he forgotten? The man was stubborn at times, some may even say eccentric. Yet he had done good for their station. He’s the one who sniffed out the Duke’s gang in the first place for them. 

He leaned back in his seat. He felt a bit of guilt at the thoughts he was having about doubting the captain. He looked at Logan, who also seemed to feel ashamed. Logan’s eyes were cast down at his hands. His mouth was frowning downwards that it seemed the gears in his mind were slowing. He whispered, “What if we’re wrong, and we doom his family to having that accusation on their heads for a long time?” 

Patton bit his lip. “What if we’re right, and it ends up getting so ugly his kid ends up on the bad side of things?” 

Logan was silent. He scrunched his eyebrows in thought. His gears were starting to speed up again. He looked up and nodded at Patton. “Alright,” he confidently stated, “Alright, let’s clean up our station.” 

The two got out of the vehicle quickly. Neither of them wanted to prolong the inevitable. Patton still got a nasty feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was starting to weigh in what would happen to his friend’s family. Moreso, what would happen to the town? The captain was likable by the citizens. Would it crush their hearts? 

He asked himself, for the first time since he met the Duke, how much he was willing to sacrifice for the capture of one man? 

He and Logan hung up their suits. He noticed that the other cops weren’t there. For a split second he feared that the captain was out too, until he heard yelling from the man’s office. 

“No, you don’t understand! My wife is due to have our kid soon and if you think-” 

The yelling stopped as Logan burst into the office. The captain’s head snapped up. He froze as he saw Patton follow in shortly after. His wide eyes made him look like a deer caught on the road. 

“I’ll call you later,” he told the anonymous voice on the line before carefully hanging up. He cleared his throat. “Good to finally see you guys,” he forced a cheerful tone in his loud voice as he spread his arms wide. 

Captain Roman de Rossi was a handsome man. Despite his Italian features, he was able to quickly climb the ranks to get his position as captain of Emeryville Police Department. He had vibrant brown eyes that were nearly black. His black curly hair was magically tamed most of the time, though the past few weeks he hadn’t been able to manage it with his nervous habit of rubbing his hands through it. His skin was tanned, though it wasn’t so dark that most of the time people were shocked to learn of his Italian heritage. 

He was tense. Patton could see it in his grin. His chin was tilted down, his jaw was taught, his clothes were wrinkled. He looked like a mess of a man. If Patton hadn’t known better, he’d say he looked like some of the drunks he’d brought in over the course of his years working at the station. 

Logan shared a glance with Patton before responding. “Apologies about the delay, captain. We had some trouble with the last call.” Logan’s voice was smooth over the lie. The only tell he caught was Logan’s refusal to look straight at the captain. Patton could barely see that Logan was covering his anxiety.

Roman nodded then sat down. “Sit, gentleman, tell me what happened.” 

The detectives sat down cautiously. Neither of them knew what to expect, and if they could read the captain’s mind, they would have known they weren’t alone in their nervousness. It was a standoff-except they didn’t know they were on opposite sides of what was good. 

Roman’s face morphed into a serious expression. His professional persona that he reserved for serious cases overtook his body language and face. Patton resisted the urge to flinch at the severity of that glare. “Well, sir, the girl-” 

Patton stuttered at the raised eyebrow the captain gave him. He looked at Logan to save him. 

“Naturally, after the perpetrator got away, she blew into hysterics. We both decided it was best to take her home to help her get calm,” the younger detective answered.

“She also didn’t want to file a report,” Patton chimed in. He felt his old confidence return. He smiled warmly at the captain, trying to ignore the jitters his boss was throwing out. 

“I see…” Roman muttered. He looked over to Logan directly, “What happened to the perp?” 

Logan gulped. He hadn’t been prepared for that question to be so direct, and filled with tense focus. “I-he-” 

“He got away, didn’t he?” Roman asked aggressively. His voice was starting to raise. 

“You two are good cops. I thought I could trust you to take down this gang.” 

His face was getting red. He looked down at his desk, “I trusted you two to be a force for good.” 

Patton reached out to touch his friend’s hand. He didn’t care in the moment that the captain was likely in on the crimes being committed. They were still friends. How could he have forgotten that? 

“We’re sorry. We underestimated them.” 

Roman looked at the detective’s hands resting on his. Such a soft action. He was still reaching out to him. Patton was a good detective. He had a love for everyone that was immeasurable. The captain swallowed. His face told them only a hint of the storm brewing in his mind from the contact.

“Sir, I have a theory that may help us with the case,” Logan broke the silence. His face was full of regret for what he was about to say. His words were nearly a whisper, yet they were loud with their implications. “I think there may be a plant. I suspected with the anonymous tip we received a month ago, and I know so now.” 

The captain sucked in a breath. Patton watched his reaction-looking for any sign of deception or a clue of his betrayal. He continued to watch while Logan explained in slow, calculated words. 

“I regret to inform you that my suspicions were confirmed when the Duke…” Logan straightened his posture to deliver with a confident voice, “When he sent one of his lackeys to my home last night.” 

Patton turned his head sharply at Logan. His shocked expression was match for match with the captain. Logan was going off script. Patton met his partner’s apologetic eyes briefly before they were interrupted by the captain’s rage. 

“You had a chance to capture a criminal, and didn’t call it in?!” Roman roared, shooting out of his chair. “Not only that, you let another one get away after attacking a young girl! I have half a mind to-” 

Patton stood up. He held his hands out in peace. He saw what he needed to see about their captain. He hid his heartbreak well enough at the betrayal that was confirmed...by both of them. 

“Fellas, please, let’s talk this out calmly,” his voice betrayed him by cracking, “I’m sure Logan was trying to-” 

“Put the blame on someone else! He’s pointing fingers!” The captain slammed his fist on his desk. Patton looked at Logan. 

The younger detective stayed steady. His face was resigned against the fire being thrown at him from his boss. Patton wanted to figure out what his deal was, but first they needed to get out of there on calm terms. 

“Captain,” Logan spoke slowly. His voice was monotone. He was devoid of all emotion. “I think you’re too tired to think clearly,” the angry man’s face fell into a darker expression. Logan continued, “I hadn’t had time to notify you or Patton, it’s been a fretful day.” 

“Logan, you just made a big mistake,” Roman growled out. Patton’s heart fell as he watched the exchange-helpless, like he had been every time he got close to something that would help him catch the Duke. 

Roman stood tall, and Logan followed suit. They both seemed in the know about what was going on. Patton shook his head back and forth at them. He wanted to shout to clear the tension, but his throat was closed. His words had escaped his mind as soon as Logan implied he was working with- 

“Detective Logan Smith,” the captain’s voice was rigid, “You have withheld vital information to the investigation from me, and your partner. You are hereby suspended for two weeks. Please,” Patton was held in place by his surprise, “Hand over your badge and weapon.” 

Patton felt a cry settle on his chest. He bit his tongue so hard he tasted blood. He couldn’t believe his ears. The captain was really suspending someone like Logan? 

Logan took it well, it seemed. He didn’t beg. He didn’t cry. He didn’t shout. He didn’t even try to defend himself like Patton wanted to. He removed his gun from his belt, along with his badge, and handed it over to their captain with no emotion in his body. 

Logan nodded at the still-fuming captain behind the desk. He turned to Patton and offered his hand. Patton gripped it tight as he shook it. He choked down his emotions while he was painfully aware of the captain’s eyes on them. He looked into his young partner’s blue eyes; was that mischief?

Logan saluted them both when he reached the door and left. He stood tall. Roman deflated into his seat as Logan left. Logan had been right. The captain looked tired for sure. Patton wondered to himself what this was going to mean if he was going to capture the gang leader that plagued his every thought. 

“Detective-Patton, you’re still on the case. Please make sure you don’t make the mistake Detective Smith did by hesitating to report new information.” Roman waved to the door, covering his face with his hand as he leaned on the edge of the desk. “You’re dismissed.” 

Patton walked out, though he didn’t feel the ground beneath him. His limbs were not attached to his body. His head was dizzy from the quick exchange that had just taken place. The weight in his stomach was crushing his guts. His mind was swimming with questions. Questions about the captain, about Logan, about the Duke...about himself. 

The sun was bright in his eyes as he stepped outside. He looked around for Logan, though it was futile. 

The deed was done. Patton would have to find the Duke alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know it's been a hot minute since I updated this. Also yes, I know it's a heavy sin for no Alice in this part. Also YES I really did just hurt these babies. And finally yes, I did cry while writing that last part.
> 
> Don't worry, next chapter we get the Good Stuff


	7. Part Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice gets caught up. Patton chases the Duke once more.

Alice hadn’t meant to fall asleep when she had got to her room in Logan’s home, but could one really blame her? She thought she knew what a life on the run entailed when she had been forced to leave her parents at thirteen years old. Well, she learned her lesson after this. No more running for her. No more shady deals, no more hiding, no more selling pieces of her that shouldn’t be sold. This latest day had scared her straight.

Well, maybe not completely straight. 

She nuzzled into the soft pillow she was holding as she slowly woke up. She felt the smudged, caked texture of old makeup that she fell asleep rub along the pillowcase. That was enough to remind her to try not to stain her host’s pillows. 

She rolled onto her back then opened her eyes. It was sunset, so she gathered that she hadn’t been asleep for longer than a few hours. She didn’t feel well rested enough to wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed, but her hunger for something to eat gnawed at her stomach harsh enough to finally push her out of bed. 

She groaned as she sat up. She looked around the room she was in with bleary eyes. She was a bit more awake, once she was sitting up, to fully notice the details in the orange and pink setting sunlight coming in through the white curtains. 

The room was a contrast to the brightness of the downstairs. The walls were painted a near navy blue, and the furniture was made of some dark wood that she couldn’t recognize. There were two paintings on the walls. Both smaller than the lighthouse in the main living room. 

The first was next to the door above the dark clothes dresser; a beautiful portrait of a beach in the night. The moon was full as it shone across the small waves that crashed into nearly glowing sand. It was oddly inspiring; invoking an emotion that Alice hadn’t felt since she was a small girl in Mississippi. That feeling one would get as a child when learning about the moon while it shone bright and full in the sky. It brought her back to her short lived youth, even though she had only been to the beach in the daytime.

The second was of a bay, though not the San Francisco Bay. This one was painted from the view of a cliff looking down at a crescent shaped beach. There were a few grey clouds in the sky that reflected the moonlight; though not nearly as bright as in the first painting. It was impressive, and if Alice lived through this she’d have to ask Logan who the brilliant painter was, these works were amazing.

She decided to climb out of bed. There was no use admiring a room when she was hungry. She was still in her dress that she had been wearing since she arrived, so there wasn’t much to be done other than wash her face to take the smudged makeup off in the bathroom across the hall. She took her small pack of toiletries with her as she washed up. 

After making sure she looked, well, not entirely better, but at least less disastrous as before, she made the trek down the stairs to see if there was anything in the kitchen that she could put together quickly. She was so focused on her growing appetite that she didn’t notice that there was company. 

When she made it to the bottom of the steps she yelped when a man’s voice spoke from the living room. 

“Oh, you’re finally awake.” He didn’t sound malicious, but he wasn’t either of the detectives. The voice was husky, deep, and definitely not familiar.

She didn’t have any weapon but her fists, so she clenched her right fist as she turned into the room to see who had spoken to her. She wasn’t willing to go out without a fight. 

Brown eyes met blue ones when she saw him. He looked familiar enough that he wasn’t a stranger, but stranger enough to not be considered a friend. His black hair was unkempt; it fell in his eyes, though he made no move to brush them aside. He wasn’t smiling, but he wasn’t grimacing either. He was smirking at her- clearly amused by her suspicion. He was wearing a plain white long sleeve with black suspenders attached to dark trousers. His arms were crossed over his chest in nonchalance. His skin was a darker shade of olive, so maybe Italian.

Italian? Alice immediately put her defenses up higher. Her face set in stone as she lifted her chin a tad to show that she wouldn’t bow down or surrender without a fight. She was a force to be reckoned with despite her femininity. Many men found it adorable-until they were met with clawed faces, black eyes, and broken noses. 

“What’s it to you?” She asked, not meaning for her Mississippian twang to come on as strong. Usually it was subtle unless she was tired-which in this moment she was. 

The stranger chuckled, seeming un-phased by her defensive stance. “Clearly,” he winked at her as he spoke in a deep voice, “Logan was blowing smoke ‘boutcha needing a guard. A tough dame like you doesn’t seem to need protection.” 

Alice frowned. “Logan?” Damn her voice-betraying her as it wavered. She tilted her head. “Logan sent a guard?” she muttered, questioning herself more than the man across the room.

“Yeah, I was surprised too,” the stranger chuckled, “I apologize for my lack of manners.” He stood up from the seat and walked slowly to Alice. He reached his hand out for a shake. “I’m Virgil, and you are…?”

She eyed the outstretched hand warily. The majority of her was distrustful, but if Logan had sent a guard, it would be rude to decline the offer. Especially since it was better safe than sorry. 

Well, she wasn’t one for manners anyways. 

She crossed her arms. Her eyes squinted at how relaxed the stranger was acting about the whole thing-as if it were a joke she wasn’t in on-though there was a tiny bit of tension in his shoulders that she noticed. That told her some part of him was on edge as well.

“I’m Alice,” she introduced herself with a cold tone. Her voice was tight as she glanced quickly around the room. “Where’s Logan?” 

“I’m right here, Alice.” The detective’s calming voice spoke up softly behind her. It wasn’t enough to startle her. What was startling was how quickly she relaxed; she felt safer as soon as he was in the room. She felt her shoulders relax-she hadn’t realized they had been so tense. 

Logan walked past her to stand next to her and Virgil. “Alice, Patton and I had to go together to go confront the captain.” 

She tensed, the tone didn’t make it seem like the confrontation went well. She caught the glance he shared with Virgil. She took a deep breath before asking, “Where’s Patton?” 

Logan avoided her gaze. “I wouldn’t know, I’ve been suspended for two weeks for insubordination. I had to leave before he did.” He grit his teeth in frustration. Alice thought she caught an undertone of emotional vulnerability while he continued, “I didn’t get a full confirmation that the captain is in league with the Duke, but the way he berated me for suggesting a plant at all was suspicious enough. Though I suppose I didn’t help when-” 

Virgil put a hand on his shoulder. His expression was soft as he shared a fond look with the detective. Alice kept herself from raising an eyebrow at the way Logan gave a minuscule smile of gratitude to the taller man. Maybe she had been correct in her assumption about him from the night of the party after all. She swallowed a smile at the thought of being right about which way the young detective swung. She almost didn’t hear the rest of the conversation.

“Logan, what’s done is done. You made a calculated decision that took the heat off of your partner,” Virgil rubbed his hand-a little too affectionately to be just friendly-in circles on Logan’s back. “You did the right thing, even if I’ll get a bit of heat from my cousin.” 

Alice definitely raised her eyebrow then. “Uh, clearly I missed something juicy,” she paused as her stomach clenched as a reminder to eat. She put on an apologetic smile, “How ‘bout we catch up over dinner. Is there anything available or do I need to cook?” 

Logan shook his head while sparing a grin. “No, I have dinner already prepared in the dining room. I had actually come here to gather you for the meal in the first place.” 

Alice winked at the two men before she walked off. “Alright, boys, let’s get a wiggle on so I can get caught up in all the news.” 

The party of three walked to the dining room in tense quiet. Though Alice noticed the tension wasn’t malicious. It was more...delicious. She watched the two men accompanying her share a few too many glances and grins. She smiled to herself briefly, excited to tell Lola about everything, especially about her theory that their dance partners were surely not straight. The thought of gossiping with her girl was enough to put a bit of pep in her step. 

She wasn’t offended that Logan never came clean about it. There were still times she had to let go of her girlfriend’s hand no matter no matter how desperately she wanted to hold on. The world wasn’t ready. They weren’t exactly living in Harlem. 

Watching the boys avoid the subject was hilarious. If there weren’t more pressing matters at hand, she’d press them about the matter of why they weren’t holding hands. She bit back a giggle.

Dinner was a spread of baked chicken with russet potatoes and carrots glazed with honey. It looked expensive, and delicious. The smell that wafted into Alice’s nose was so heavenly that she couldn’t control herself lunging forward into the nearest chair. She almost stumbled, but thankfully Virgil had been close enough to catch her by the elbow. 

She muttered a thanks as she took her seat. The dining set was beautiful. All of it matched with a polished white ceramic decorated with baby blue tulips above light green stems. The edges were trimmed with gold. Alice added another question to her mental list-where did Logan find a way to afford all of this? 

Logan was extremely kind enough to serve them. That baffled Alice even more. Why would someone as well off as him do the work of serving his guests? For the first time Alice noticed a distinct lack of servants. Meaning that Logan was not just serving them-he must have cooked the meal himself. 

Oh, yes, he definitely wasn’t due for a wife anytime soon. 

Once they were served, Logan asked for Alice to lead them in prayer. She felt a lump rise in her throat. It had been so long since her last homemade meal. It had been even longer since she had to lead in prayer. She closed her eyes to keep the tears from flowing at the large reminder that she was in a safe place.

_ “Our Father, who art in heaven, _

_ Hallowed be thy name _

_ Thy kingdom come, thy will be done  _

_ In Earth as it is in heaven _

_ Give us, this day, our daily bread _

_ And forgive us our  _ _trespasses_

_ As we forgive those who trespass against us _

_ And lead us not into temptation  _

_ But deliver us from evil  _

_ For thine is the Kingdom, the power, and glory forever _

_ Amen” _

“Amen,” the men echoed. If either noticed a tear or two drop from Alice’s eyes, they didn’t show it. 

The trio spent the first few minutes eating before talking business. The chicken was divine. It was still juicy despite being baked. The honey glaze complimented the sweetness of the carrots while also blending with the savory flavor of the potatoes. In simple terms, the dinner was delicious. Alice resisted the urge to immediately reach for seconds. 

It seemed no one wanted to bring up the difficult conversation first. She resigned herself to being the mature one in the moment, choosing to be bold and brash. 

“So what the hell happened while I was asleep?” Her chin jutted out a tad forward in response to Logan’s admonishing look towards her language. 

Virgil shrugged. “I had Mr. Doris at my home when Logan called to have me come over to make sure you were safe.” 

She rolled her eyes towards Logan. “So,” she started sarcastically, “You and Patton didn’t want babysitting duty?” 

“I-no,” Logan sputtered, “We both needed to go in to avoid suspicion.” 

“Look how that turned out,” Virgil muttered. When the two looked his way, he muttered something unintelligible and bit forcefully into another bite of chicken. 

“As I was saying,” Logan stated. Alice noticed the blush and small upturn playing at the corners of his mouth. “We went together. The captain...he was in a horrible mood. He grew overly aggressive when I suggested that there may be a plant, and when I pressed he put me on suspension. Especially since I told him I had evidence by-” he glanced at Virgil, who nodded encouragingly, “I told him that I had a member of the Duke’s gang visit me last night.” 

The hairs on the back of Alice’s neck raised ever so slightly as she fixed her eyes on Virgil. She gripped her fork tightly to be ready to aim for his eyes if he made a wrong move. The man, Virgil, noticed and seemed to not care that she was staring at him. 

“Relax, kid, I’m not very interested in family business.” His voice made it sound like he was brushing her off, but his body language was tense again. So it was clear that they both didn’t trust each other. Good.

Alice chewed on her potato while she processed the information. She decided to temporarily table her distrust of Virgil for the sake of the question she really wanted answered. 

“So, where’s Detective Patton?” she asked. Her voice betrayed her by cracking on the sweet Irishman’s name. She would hate herself forever if the kind man got himself hurt on her account. 

The two men shared another, more concerned, glance. “I’m…” Logan’s voice sounded troubled as it dropped half an octave, “I’m not entirely sure. I left before he did, like I said, but he didn’t follow me back. I’m not entirely sure where to go from here without him.” 

Alice’s stomach clenched with fear. Suddenly her appetite was gone. She looked at Virgil without really seeing him. “What do you know about all of this?” she whispered. 

Virgil avoided her gaze. Alice’s anger rose with the force of ten hurricanes. “What do you know?!” she bellowed. Her voice echoed in the dining room. She slammed her fist on the table, causing the silverware to wiggle. 

She reached for her fork and threatened Virgil by pointing it at him, but Logan nipped her rage in the bud. 

“Calm down, Alice,” Logan pleaded softly. “I know you’re upset, but there’s no need for anger.” 

She snapped her head to look back to Logan. A biting remark was on the tip of her tongue. However she held it back as she saw raw fear in Logan’s face. Gone was his calculated, even, cold expression. In its place was the glaring, frozen, unbalanced nature of fear. 

She settled in a tiny bit. She kept her eyes on Logan as Virgil cleared his throat and explained his side of things. 

“Well, to start, I should preface by saying I rarely talk to my cousin unless he needs me for something. I comply because he’s family-but in terms of the business I couldn’t really give a-” he corrected himself at a glare from Logan, “I don’t care. All I care about is being left alone. The most I’ll do is occasionally attend a party. Yet last month I got a call from him telling me to tail Logan for him. Make sure he didn’t give away anything crucial or dig further.” 

Alice let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She relaxed her shoulders and let herself settle into the chair while Virgil kept speaking. 

“This morning Mr. Doris,”-Alice cringed at the memory of the scar faced man gripping her wrists- “came by to tell me he failed in catching you. He also mentioned that uh,” Virgil blushed. His tone was embarrassed, and he scratched the back of his neck. “That Patton was getting busy with the Duke.” 

Alice would have spat out her drink if she had been taking a sip. Logan, she knew for sure, dropped pins. She could tell from a mile away that the younger detective was not into women. However, Patton? The man who seemed to latch onto her and pry and try to protect? Patton, a pansy? 

That evidently was not the part of the sentence she should have latched onto. 

“Well, Mr. Doris doesn’t seem to be the most reliable informant,” Logan observed dryly. 

There was a brief moment of silence before Alice asked, “How do we know you are reliable?” 

Virgil nodded solemnly. “I get your hesitation, I do, but I’m being honest when I say I don’t care about the family business.” He absently rubbed his shoulder. “I think nearly dying in a trench puts things into perspective, don’t you?” 

Alice’s mouth dropped open. There was no way someone this young looking had been in the war. Unless he shipped in right at the end. 

She hardly remembered what it was like; having the men at war. The world being thrown into utter chaos. It was a hard time for everyone. Luckily she had only been a toddler when the war ended. She felt the urge to hug Virgil close; but she didn’t on the suspicion that he wouldn’t appreciate it. 

“I’d rather we use our resources to help the community instead of hurting it,” Virgil whispered loud enough for them to hear. His eyes were downcast towards the table, and his hand still gripped his shoulder. “My cousin has good intentions, I’m sure, but Mr. Doris uses his access to grip this town so hard he’ll end up choking it.” 

Logan and Alice shared a glance, both thinking the same thing. The Duke, leader of one of the most notorious gangs in the Bay Area, having good intentions?    
  


“What do you mean, about your cousin having good intentions?” Logan asked cautiously. 

Virgil snorted. “You kidding? All he wants is to show people a good time.” 

“I see,” Logan murmured. “Well, that is good information that you’ve shared with us, Virgil. I appreciate you.” 

Alice bit back a giggle at the fact Logan had said ‘appreciate you’ instead of ‘appreciate it’. She couldn’t wait to get Logan alone to grill him about him and Virgil, and she also couldn’t wait to dish it all out to Lola next time they spoke. 

She picked up her fork and pointed it at Virgil, though not as threatening as before. “Okay, Sinister Sam, I’m trusting you, but if you betray us,” she pointed her fork for emphasis, “I’m not above murder like a certain detective in the room.” They all knew the threat was more of a joke. 

Virgil threw up his hands with a smirk, “Good thing I have no intention of betraying that trust, Alice.” 

“Glad we all agree,” Logan interrupted with annoyance in his tone. “Now, back to a more pressing matter-where is Patton?” 

\------

Patton didn’t feel like driving back to Logan’s and facing that fiasco, so instead he chose to walk around the town, which was mostly new warehouses and car factories. He walked along the road and watched as the men got off of work for the day. He saw groups of friends laughing together-completely unaware at the forces of good and evil fighting with their lives in the middle of it all. 

That may have been too dramatic, but was it not the same as the fight between the devils in hell and the angels in heaven? Patton thought himself a morally upstanding man. Everything he stood for was good. He did his job with a smile on his face and faith in his heart. Everyone he came into contact with-he made them smile. He worked his honest way into the police force despite his heritage, just like his captain.

The thought of his captain felt like a punch to the gut. Roman’s haggard face after sending Logan home was burned into Patton’s mind. He looked so helpless. Obviously Roman was under great stress. So of course if he got an offer to make his job easier he’d take it. Patton felt guilt over building him into a villain so quickly. Roman wasn’t bad, he was just stuck between a rock and a hard place.

The sun was setting on the bay as Patton turned his way around to the park in between the warehouses and residential area. He watched the children play before suppertime. How he felt for Roman’s wife, Mrs. Rosalie de Rossi. If it turned out to be true-which at this point Patton was sure-then she would raise his son alone. A boy or girl would grow up without a father if Patton did his job the right way. 

Would he sacrifice his best friend’s child for the sake of capturing one man? Would he take Roman in cuffs as he heard the first cry of his newborn child? Was this truly about stopping the crime in the town, or about Patton getting a pat on the back for capturing the leader of the crime? Was Patton willing to suffer his friend watching his child grow up behind bars? 

Once upon a time the answer was simple. If it were a month ago he would have answered with a vehement ‘yes’, no matter why. Now things were twisted. Everything was knotted together where it was no longer a simple matter of good and evil; right and wrong were a mass of yarns tangled together. The world was covered in a gray haze that threw Patton for a loop as he tried to make some sense of it. 

“It’s not so simple anymore,” he mumbled to himself.

The detective sat on a bench facing the bay, which was within eyesight from the incline where he sat. He admired the beauty of the way the orange and pink clouds glimmered on the waves. Crashing to the shore, knowing where they were going. Eroding the rock into sand; the waves knew what they did. They were driven by the moon herself. The white foam born of the impact would fizzle as the only evidence that any destruction was being made. 

Patton pondered once more about how far he was willing to go to put the Duke behind bars. The man was clearly a source of stress for Roman. Was there a way to spare the captain? Perhaps getting to the criminal through another source was key. Maybe he could make it so Roman would be spared in the storm that was brewing in preparation of the battle between the good detective and the sinful mobster. 

He smiled at the thought of Roman being able to watch his son or daughter play at this park. Roman would swing his toddler on the swing set and chase a short child with black hair and brown eyes. Roman would be happy. He’d be free of the worries of a criminal operation. Patton would be the one to give that to him. 

Patton was good with children. He could see himself there too, celebrating with his friends a birthday or summer’s day. When he first learned of Mrs. de Rossi’s pregnancy he had briefly wished that he would find a woman to settle down with to have children of his own. 

Yes, there was that question again. Patton was thirty two years old. He had never looked at a woman with lust before. Before he met the Duke he thought it to be a great achievement that put him above his peers. Now, though, it had been brought into question. What was his romantic orientation? Could he actually see himself having a wife? Having children?

Truth be told, if he were to be completely honest with himself, he didn’t hold any attraction to women. The terrifying idea of the alternative made his arms raise goosebumps; tingling his senses. He felt his cheeks flush from more than the biting sea air. His lips vibrated softly as if ready once more for a forbidden kiss of forbidden fruit. As he watched the sun set he felt something open up in his soul in revelation. Beautiful, fearful, attractive revelation. 

If the Duke weren’t a scoundrel, and if the world and God saw it fit, he would chase the rotten man a different way. 

There was something about the two of them. A horror Patton couldn’t look away from. The Duke was an affront to God Himself. He could be the Devil incarnate; present to tempt Patton into committing unthinkable sins. It was so hard for the detective to delude himself any longer that he was immune to the allure. The call of danger. The tempting taste of the pomegranate that would doom him to falling to the underworld of the Duke’s domain was, in fact, an actual temptation for Patton. 

He watched the bay waters move to give him answers. He thought of kissing the man. The kiss that had been so easy it had to be for more reasons than to seduce for evidence and information. He remembered with perfect clarity how much he had enjoyed himself with the Duke more than any woman he had kissed, those dames being few and far between. The gangster was an enigma. He was dangerous and chaotic and warm and so many things that seduced Patton. 

What would the detective sacrifice to catch the Duke and kiss him once more? 

He felt someone sit next to him. It was as if his thoughts had summoned the one man he wasn’t ready to see.

“So, how is playing ‘good cop’ goin’ for ya?” the Duke asked cheerfully. 

“I’m wondering to myself what I’m going to do with you, Duke.” Patton was shocked at the honest answer he gave. 

A hint of red crossed the Duke’s cheeks before he recovered. “Hopefully devilishly delicious things.” 

“In your wildest dreams,” Patton muttered. He was drained of energy. His fingers twitched for the cuffs in his pocket. He looked around to see that no other gang members were nearby. They were completely alone; the children had even gone home for supper.

The Duke was open for capture, and Patton was hesitating yet again. 

“Seriously, though, here I am open for capture and you’re hesitating,” the Duke observed. The echo of Patton’s thoughts made him shiver. It meant nothing, but it said everything.

“Are you turning yourself in?” Patton asked sarcastically. “Or are you here on a personal call?” 

The Duke’s lips curled into a smile. Patton’s heart fluttered at the sight. This smile wasn’t malicious. It wasn’t cruel or conniving. The Duke’s smile was warmth from a stormy night. A dip into cool water on a hot autumn day. With that smile, they were just two men-two people-in the midst of falling in, what would be seen by others, attraction. 

He found himself leaning closer to hear what the Duke was saying despite the man not changing volume. His face felt numb as the breeze picked up. The Duke’s slicked back hair let loose a strand. 

“I’m here because you have something of mine. A certain doll who owes me a pretty hefty fee.” The Duke leaned in close enough their noses were touching. 

They were magnets. They were the opposite poles of the earth. 

“Hm, I’m not telling you where Alice is, dear Duke,” Patton murmured as if he were in a trance. In some form, he was. 

Fire flew through Patton’s veins so quickly. The words were losing their meanings in the tones. Their voice inflections were having an entirely different conversation at hand. Patton shuddered at the memories of being nearly pinned underneath the night before, no longer angry but enticed. 

“Well, that’s a loss on my end then, dear detective.” whispered the Duke. “Guess we’re both at a stalemate.” 

Ah, yes. The stalemate the forces of nature brewed between them. The laws of the world were putting a thorn bush between them to make their journey even harder as enemies than as friends. 

“Indeed.” Patton agreed dreamily as he surrendered.

They both came in for another kiss, be it softer than their previously passionate adjointments. The kiss was a sunset-an end to Patton stepping around the truth of his feelings, an end to answering hard questions with simple answers, and an end to pursuing his enemy at the cost of his friends’ livelihoods.

His friends...Roman, Logan, Alice. 

Alice. 

_ Alice! _

He pulled away and stood suddenly as if his body burned from touching an open flame. “No, no! You’re not blinding me this time, Duke!” he shouted. 

Before he could reach for his cuffs the Duke had started running. His maniacal laughter trailing behind him. Patton raced to keep up once he realized what was happening. The moment in paradise melted away like a dream. The chase was back on.

_ Not this time you damn fool.  _

They ran through the alleyways in between the deserted warehouses. The streets were darker. The sun was setting rapidly as the chase had continued. They wound around the large lots. They skirted the borders where other officers on the beat would notice. Somehow the mobster knew exactly where they were, too. The Duke was playing with him. He was torturous and wonderful and damn good at getting under Patton’s skin. He knew this had become so personal for Patton he wouldn’t risk calling for backup if it meant losing the trail. 

A part of Patton detached and played their kisses over and over again. That piece of him wanted to tackle the man to the ground. Pin the gangster underneath him and succumb to the feral nature being brought out. He wanted to hunt the man down and ravish his soul to the point they would be on fire. He pumped his legs harder to keep up, not knowing what the outcome would be if he caught his target. 

Patton’s legs were in a flaming pain as he watched the Duke cross a street. He ran out when a car suddenly squealed to a stop in front of him to block him from chasing farther.

“No, no, no!” Patton yelled. He watched the Duke start to climb over the fence down away from him. 

The criminal looked back towards him before hopping down the other side. He was shrouded in shadows. He resembled a crouched cat before it bolted. His eyes nearly glowed in the diminishing light. Then, in a blink of an eye, he was gone. 

Patton slammed his fist on the hood of the car in front of him. He marched up to the driver’s seat only to be stopped by the sight of Alice, Logan, and the gang member who had been on Logan’s tail for the past month. 

The very gang member who was in the driver’s seat of his partner’s car. The gang member that, for all Patton knew, was in cahoots with Logan. He was the subject that got Logan off the beat. He was somehow involved in all this and for once Patton didn’t want to ask how. 

Hyped on his adrenaline and chaotic instincts, Patton reached for the gun on his belt when Logan hopped out of the other side and shouted, “Patton, no!” 

Patton wildly looked at Logan. He knew he probably looked feral. His hair felt mussed, his body was covered in sweat from two chases in one day, his clothes were rumpled. He felt no words running through his mind. 

In his mind there was only the need to run after the Duke desperately. His heart was pounding over and over. “Logan,” he gasped, “Logan, what are you doing? Interfering with an...an investigation…”

He was ready to collapse now that he was still. Rational thought took over while his body felt like gelatin melting in the summer sun. He had pushed himself to the limits. 

Logan slowly made his way to Patton, yet made it just on time to catch him in his slump. He gingerly helped Patton into the backseat of the cramped vehicle. Patton leaned on Alice’s shoulder as he felt the numbing defeat spread from his lips down his body. He played the meeting with the captain, the walk, the kiss, and the chase over and over in his mind. Where had he gone wrong?

From there on out there were no holds barred. Patton would no longer play by the rules in his pursuit. The badge on his belt was no longer a barrier between him and his chase. It no longer mattered what was right and what was wrong-his heart needed vengeance against the manipulative nature of his enemy. He would let himself be seduced then wrap the cuffs in one painfully swift movement. 

Alice carded her hand through his curls. She hummed a soothing tune that washed over him as a cleansing shower after a long day. It was a backwards scenario-a young girl comforting an older man. If any of the passengers heard him softly sob once while a tear fell off of his face, no one spoke up about it.

The sun had set, and with it the last remnants of upstanding, rule-following, by-the-book morality Detective Patton O’Hearty had left. 

“Catch me if you can,” The Duke had teased. Oh, how he would. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I haven't abandoned this story, I promise! I have had a lot going on lately and have been absolutely zoned in on Prince in the Storm. I apologize again for making this so late. I hope you still enjoyed, feedback is appreciated.


	8. Part Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil meets with the Duke and Mr. Doris. Patton finally combusts, while Logan and Alice worry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: cigarettes, drinking excessively

Virgil didn’t want to leave the group behind at Logan’s house, but he knew he had to. It was the safest option. It was more important at that moment for the three of them to have their talks on how to move forward. The less he knew, the better. Even if it hurt to be so far away from his…from Logan.

Now that he had a moment to himself, walking among the warehouses at nighttime, he was finally free to think about the night before. Had it only been less than a day since he knew he’d have to betray his family? 

He knew when he took up the job tailing Logan that he was in over his head. He wasn’t expecting that to be how he paid his debts. He made a point not to get too involved in family affairs- it was too much risky work-but he owed some money to his cousin after losing a game of poker. 

Best loss in his life, and he didn’t say so often. 

As he paced the streets, waiting for Mr. Doris, he remembered with vivid pleasure the events of the evening before. When he finally got Logan to crack and kiss him in a way he had never been kissed. 

Man, Pat and Alice were sure in for it. Lord knows how Logan was able to keep his cool for this long. Virge had gotten the sense that Alice had figured something was amiss, though. Dame in her situation, it made sense for her to be perceptive. Virgil briefly thought of what it would look like- a small girl pinning tall Logan to the wall demanding to know if he let his hair down. 

He sighed, watching his breath leave his mouth in a gray mist akin to cigarette smoke. The world wasn’t ready for people like them. He knew that. Part of the reason he stayed on the low was for that reason. If the world was going to hate him, let them hate him for good reasons. Let it hate him for his failures, for his crimes, for the pain he caused people. He wished that the world wouldn’t hate him for finally being comfortable with the idea of falling in love. 

He had considered moving to Harlem. Now that was a scene. There were stories he’d heard of women on the arms of other women freely. There were men in dresses and women in slacks. There were women who were as burly as men and men as puny as gals. There was music, freedom, a community and safe haven. He had saved up nearly enough to go east to that scene when he had been relocated to help his cousin get a foothold in the west. 

He felt bummed out for so long, but he felt glad that he got Logan out of the whole ordeal. 

Scenes of the night before flooded his mind’s eye. Hot skin pressed up against each other. Tightness and heat and primal instinct and sweat and all things he was familiar with, but none of it had felt...like that. Like the grip of a cuddle afterwards. The warmth of a person’s hand twirling his hair. The soft urge to plant kisses on Logan’s face afterwards to care for him. The whispered laughter in between afterglow kisses. 

A part of him wanted to take Logan there. Logan, in a place like Harlem? It’d be worth it just for the surprise on his prude, puckered face. 

He took out a cigarette to shift his focus from the forbidden thoughts once he heard the footsteps. He inhaled the smoke with ease when he caught the silver flash of a scar with a face forming behind it from the shadows. 

“Hello, Virgil. How was your day?” Smooth of voice as ever. Slick like fine whiskey, and every bit of a snake’s hypnotic charm in those eyes. 

Virgil ignored that. He took a drag from his cigarette to give himself time to form an answer. Finally, he curtly replied, “Same old. Detective Dolt is still on that blessed routine of his. Swear, the guy never steps a foot outta line.” 

“Right,” the word drew out. Mr. Doris squinted at him. The man who had taken Virgil’s place in the family business always glared at him with suspicion. Now, without knowing it, he had good reason to. 

“You?” Virgil asked, trying to hold back a cough. He had to keep it cool. He held out his pack to the scarred man, a peace offering from his earlier brusque behavior that morning. 

Mr. Doris waved it off. He turned his nose up to examine his shoulder, evidently finding some invisible lint. “I had other matters to attend to, I haven’t been able to find my target. Was he with yours?” 

Ashes from his cigarette sprinkled slowly to the ground. “Nope, though doesn’t mean he didn’t call or something.” 

“I see. Was there a girl there?” Mr. Doris inquired, his tone too innocent for his normally vicious demeanor. 

“What, that broad you were supposed to toss into a river?” Virgil tried to shove out the image of Alice’s eyes-too old for her young face. 

Mr. Doris growled, “Don’t play games with me, punk,” Virgil tensed at the word, “I am not as easy to forget as the boss, and I need a good reason to give a good lickin’ to someone.” 

“Well, I’m afraid that isn’t possible, boys.” The Duke stated. Neither of them had heard him approach.

“Boss, good to see you as always,” Virgil greeted coolly. He took another drag of his cigarette. The smoke soothed his nerves from the inquisition from his ‘coworker’ .

“Virge, how often do I need to tell you not to be so formal with me? We’re family, after all.” The Duke’s smile was akin to a stray cat finding fresh steak. So, perfectly normal. For him.

“Right, sorry cuz,” Virgil rolled his eyes. It wasn’t like they were close enough to be brothers. 

The Duke looked between the men suspiciously. “What aren’t you boys telling me?” 

“Doris lost the broad and the cop, in the same day.” Virgil confessed quickly, all too aware of his companions low hiss in his direction

“Yes, I know that already, what else?” the man whined, petulance coloring his tone.

Virgil’s eyes tightened. He got the strange feeling that his cousin knew more than he was letting on. Still, he played his part with ease. “She wasn’t with Smith, if that’s what you were wondering.” 

“Oh really? Strange, she wasn’t with my dear detective either,” his cousin mused, twirling his mustache. 

Mr. Doris’ back straightened. Virgil sensed that there was more to the situation than what was being led on. He catalogued that reaction to build off of later. Something about Patton was causing...something of a rift, between them. It wasn’t like Virgil cared, Doris had it coming for some time. 

“Well, maybe they got her in a safe house or like, ya know, with another cop?” Virgil suggested. He wanted to get them off of the young lady’s trail. 

“No, the captain said he had to suspend detective Smith. They’re onto him. There’s no way they’d bring another man in on this.” Mr. Doris was still bothered. Alice was his mark, so of course he was willing to do anything to get her back. 

The Duke looked at Virgil. “Unless, of course, one of us were lying.” 

Mr. Doris lifted his eyebrow. Sure, he wasn’t completely sure how loyal Virgil was, but it wouldn’t be like him to get involved enough to cause any harm. Once again, Mr. Doris toyed with the thought of having a tail put on Virgil as well. 

Virgil felt stones fall in his stomach. Sweat started to build on his brows. He threw his cigarette down to the ground to put it out. “Or, maybe they have a friend. Maybe they left her at one of their houses.”

“You just said Logan was at his house earlier.” Mr. Doris stepped closer. His eyes were in slits, it was hard to see even the whites of his eyes, making him look even more like a snake. 

Mr. Doris had the sudden suspicion that maybe he underestimated the reclusive man, after all. 

“I-” Virgil cleared his throat, “I know that. I just meant that maybe we don’t know enough to assume.” 

“Right,” his cousin surmised. He looked Virgil up and down, as if looking for something. Virgil tried to appear as calm as he could. Whatever the Duke was looking for, he seemed satisfied. 

Virgil let out a breath quietly when Mr. Doris had the attention of the boss. _That was close,_ he thought to himself. 

“Mr. Doris, darling, I need you to find her. You have three days. Have Virgil help, and I’ll have Roman let me know if he hears anything about her.” The Duke seemed satisfied with that conclusion, then he added to Virgil, “Take advantage of Mr. Smith being suspended. Find out what you can. Double your watch hours. Only report in if there’s any important development.

“I’m bored, let’s go down to the Lion’s Den for some refreshments.” The Duke clapped his palms together, signaling the end of the business portion of their meeting.

Virgil’s nod was curt. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Still, he refused to let it take control as he agreed to join the gentleman for drinks at their speakeasy nearby. 

The joint was in full swing when they arrived, fashionably late. The men and women who were outcasts, dennigans, drunks, and harlots all danced around as if there wasn’t a care in the world. The dresses were skin tight, and Virgil caught the glitter of cufflinks-obviously from some notable men in their local government. A few of them he had remembered meeting in a dark alley for a kiss or two. 

The men made their way to a back table just behind the stage. Where they could still hear the music, but didn’t have to be bothered with the usual social engagements. It was dark, it was secluded, it was perfect for gentlemen like them. 

The waiter that came up to them was nervous. Seemed like he didn’t have much experience directly interacting with the boss. He swallowed, trying not to stutter, and looked a little too green in the face. He took their orders bravely, then scurried away. Virgil pitied the poor boy.

Virgil made sure to be careful with the giggle water, he couldn’t afford to have loose lips. He made sure to take sips while his companions loosened up. 

Soon afterwards, Mr. Doris left them to go home, claiming he needed some shut eye before beginning his search the next day. He looked a little too pointedly at Virgil as he said so. 

The Duke poured himself some more bourbon, giggling. Now was Virgil’s chance to ask for some information. 

“So, cousin, tell me about this ‘dear detective’. What makes him so dear if he’s the enemy?” 

“Oh, I don’t know.” the drunk man hedged. He took down the entire glass of the fiery liquid painlessly. 

Virgil grabbed the bottle to pour more for him. He kept his voice casual, and even spared a fake grin to give off the illusion of camaraderie. He patted his cousin’s shoulder. “Come on, it’s me. I’m only curious.” 

“Well,” the Duke drew out. He creased his eyebrows in drunken deliberation. “I think I want to shoot him, then the next I want to kiss him, and somewhere….somewhere in between he makes me soft.

Virgil, you ever think about quitting this lifestyle?” 

Virgil’s eyes hardened but he forced his short laughter, “No, we live like Kings.” 

Remus pouted, holding out his glass for more. Virgil poured while he talked. “I think I wanna…” he took his drink, “I think I wanna fuck a cop.” 

Virgil snickered. He knew the feeling all too well. “Well, good luck with that. You’re on every wanted list from here to Sacramento.” 

His cousin’s laughter bellowed through the space. “Yes, only as the Duke. Never as Remus…” 

Virgil instinctively looked over his shoulder. “Don’t say that name here. Do you want to get caught?” 

The Duke, Remus, lifted his arms up and shouted, “I’m Remus! Remus damn d-” the rest of his words were muffled from Virgil’s hand. 

It was a long night for them both. Quickly did the bottle run dry. Quickly did another one come. Virgil and Remus spent the night drinking more than talking, mostly due to Remus slurring so bad he was incomprehensible. Though most of his coherent speech was addled with talks about his feelings for Patton, the ‘dear detective’, and the shipment that had come in the night before. 

“Virge, do you know what I got for us?” Remus stage whispered in his ear. His mustache tickled Virgil’s earlobe, causing him to shiver. 

“Yeah, boss,” Virgil gulped. “I know about last night at the docks.” 

“Good,” Remus took a large swig of his drink, “Let’s hope I get to kill the Irish bastard. Here’s to a good business!” 

Virgil toasted, and took another sip of his drink. Remus became even more incomprehensible, to the point Virgil decided he was cutting him off. He took his cousin home, then collapsed in his own bed where he slept fitfully-with dreams of a teenage girl drenched in her own blood. 

\--------------

“Dammit, Logan! What the hell were you thinking?” Patton bellowed. He didn’t seem to care that Alice was in the room with them. 

His eyes were wild with a fury that Logan had never seen before. His hair, once in small curls was now wildly untamed. Logan felt the words slam him hard, but he took a small comfort in knowing that it was the Duke that had upset Patton. 

The man before him wasn’t this partner. This wasn’t the gentle, giant, Irishman who always had a smile to give. This wasn’t that smooth-talking detective that handled each case with compassion. This wasn't the man who earned the tip of a hat and a gaze of a gal.

This was a man who had gone mad with the chase. 

Logan had to do something, but he didn’t know what. He felt at a loss for words. He just let Patton beat into him more with every phrase. His best friend, his partner, was finally losing it. 

“You just jeopardized our case! You had an informant. Not only an informant, the very gangster who was hired to tail you for a month. What the hell?!” Patton’s fists were clenched. Logan wondered if he was gonna take a swing. He wouldn't have put it past the man, at this point.

Logan put his hands out, a gesture of peace. “Patton,” he kept his voice even, “We need to think rationally. We have a-” 

“Rationally? Ya think the God damn Duke is rational? He’s a madman, Logan! And I have half a mind to think that you’re in kahoots with him!” Patton’s voice was hysterical, and his usually tame Irish accent was in full force. It was a miracle he wasn't spewing heavy profanities left and right. 

Patton’s heart was pounding, no doubt his blood pressure was through the rood. His mind was swirling with angry, dark thoughts he had never considered before. He wanted to punch Logan. He wanted to cry. He wanted to be left alone to crumble. He felt like his very skin was melting underneath the wrath that was striking his soul. He ignored the concerned looks Alice was throwing his way from the couch. 

“Patton, please, I-” Logan tried to beg. 

Logan clenched his fists too. He didn’t want to fight Patton, but the man needed some sense knocked into him. The air in the living room was thick with the heat of anger. Logan’s heart was breaking for his friend, and in the back of his mind he wondered if Mr. Doris had been right about the Duke and his raging partner. He wondered if maybe the Duke got his hooks deeper than a cat and mouse game.

“No, Logan!” Patton was red in the face, he looked like he was about to burst into flames. “You made an impulsive, stupid, awful decision and-” 

“At least I’m not the one turning into a madman!” Logan yelled back. He grabbed Patton by his shoulders. “Damn it, Patton! Don’t you get it? You’re playing right into his hand. He wants you riled up so you can’t think straight!” 

Patton sucked in a breath, but Logan continued. “You think I haven’t noticed a change in you? Patton, you’ve been barely sleeping. You’re crazy if you think that I’m the one not thinking straight!” 

Logan suddenly embraced Patton. Both of them were sweaty from the day, but neither of them cared. He felt Patton nearly collapse in his arms, and soon he felt his best friend sobbing into his shoulder. The pressure released from his lungs. In his arms was a tired, beaten, angry man. 

“I’m sorry Logan. You’re right I’m not...I’m not keeping my cool.” Patton pulled away, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket. He wiped his face down. 

He felt embarrassed, and looked next to him to see Alice giving him a watery smile. His mind was starting to clear. He remembered that his first duty was to the people, and right now he had to take care of a young dame that made her way quickly into his heart. 

They stood in silence, the air around them dissipated of tension. Soon, they were both being embraced by the small frame of Alice. Something about the moment felt right. Logan closed his eyes. They all took in a deep breath. Together.

Alice broke the hug to embrace just Patton. She whispered something in his ear, “You’re allowed to be mad. Hell, we’ve all got a bit of crazy.” They both giggled, which was a wonderful sound of chimes and bells. 

Logan brushed off his shirt reflexively. “Now, I believe talk of the next step can wait. We all need rest. Especially you, Patton.” 

Alice and Logan bid their farewells to Patton, and soon Alice retired to her new room. The lights were put out. Once some time had passed, Logan retreated to the basement of his manor that he had made his art room. 

The smell of linseed oil filled his nostrils. He turned on the lights, and set up his paints and easel. His fingers ached, and so did his back, but he needed the mind numbing feeling of color being placed on canvas. He needed to create. He sat at his stool, and summoned a vision in his mind’s eye of what he wanted to paint. 

He took his palette knife and made himself a beautiful green. He dipped his brush, and started spreading his brush along the canvas. He felt his shoulders relax from making the scenery. Greens and blues made their way into the scene, with spots of black and gray. Logan bit his lip as he focused on the finer details. 

He ruminated over the events of the past twenty-four hours. He had made a lover, of sorts. He rescued a young girl from a mob boss. He found out his captain was most likely part of a conspiracy to poison the force, resulting in his suspension. His partner finally snapped. He had a sixteen year old girl temporarily living in his house that had been empty for so long. 

He dipped the point of his fine brush into the white, and carefully laid his details out onto the waves that had formed on his canvas. He was so focused on his scene, that he hadn’t heard the door open, or the sound of small feet making their way down the steps. 

Luckily his brush wasn’t on the painting when he jumped from Alice’s voice saying in his ear, “So it’s you that’s filled this house with art.” 

His heart pounded in his chest from the surprise, and his cheeks reddened from the embarrassment of having his secret caught. He watched Alice slowly walk around the room, taking in the different scenes he had painted before. 

“Logan, these are beautiful.” she whispered. “If I had money, I’d buy them.” 

“I, well, um…” Logan stuttered. He was tired, after all. Plus having this young girl comment on his paintings felt oddly relieving. He took a deep breath to gather his words. “I have been painting since I was a child.” 

Alice threw him one of her dazzling smiles. “I can tell. Why aren’t you asleep? After ushering me and Patton to rest?” 

“I was too wound up.” Logan answered. “Why aren’t you asleep, after I ushered you to rest?” 

Alice shrugged, though Logan noticed that she was tense. “I’ve just been thinking.” 

“Would you like to talk about it over tea?” Logan offered suddenly. He wanted nothing in that moment but to soothe any fears she had. Plus, he was painfully aware of his own weariness. 

Alice followed him up the stairs, non-verbally giving her answer. The two talked over their tea in the kitchen, only keeping discussion light, getting to learn more about each other. Unspoken was the fear of what tomorrow would bring them. Unspoken, but still so loud, was the intuitive feeling of what was to come. 

Alice avoided his gaze through their conversation, and pushed away the thought that this would be her last night on earth. They were the police. They knew what they were doing. Surely, Patton and Logan would figure everything out? 

Eventually they were both done with their tea, and decided to go to sleep. Logan settled into his bed, too tired to think about how the day had stretched on for forever, and instead focused on the hope that he’d wake up to a new day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there. I know I disappeared into the void. It's been...it's been rough. Medication changes, life changes, and in general many stresses resulted in my creative streak running out. 
> 
> I hope you had a good time reading this, and let me know what you think. Follow my tumblr https://www.tumblr.com/blog/mamacesawrites. Playlist for this story is on Spotify and Youtube

**Author's Note:**

> I’m a big sucker for the 20s-40s era of history, as I grew up with a famous grandfather who played that music in a piano bar up until he died in 2018. This is a Mob AU.


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